stampeding dolphins, whales breathing through hole in the ice, ...

it is the heat and it is the humidity.

nolan feeney ('time') reports that it's so hot in australia right now -- how hot is it?????

it's so hot that, feeney tells us, 'red hot' doesn't even begin to cover it.'  it's so hot that gas evaporates as you pump it.


The country’s all-time record of 123.26 degrees Fahrenheit was set in 1960 at the Oodnadatta Airport in Southern Australia, but it’s already so hot that people can’t even pump gas. Nikki Staskiewicz and Angela Blomeley were stranded in Oodnadatta — which bills itself as “the driest town [in] the driest state of the driest country” in the world — when they tried to fill up their tank, only to find the fuel vaporizing in the triple-digit heat.


meanwhile for us in the u.s., last year was the hottest in history.  you can watch this abc news video report on it or read ker than's 'national geographic' report which includes:

Temperatures across the continental United States soared in 2012 to an all-time high, making last year the warmest year on record for the country by a wide margin, scientists say. (Related: "July Hottest Month on Record in U.S.—Warming and Drought to Blame?")
"2012 marks the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S., with the year consisting of a record warm spring, the second warmest summer, the fourth warmest winter, and a warmer than average autumn," Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at the National Climatic Data Center at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said in a press conference Tuesday.


you can also read the article and stream the video if you'd like to do both.

we are destroying our world.

last time i checked, we did not have a spare.

and as awful as it will be for humans if we continue down this path, grasp that we are doing this to ourselves.  the impact this is having on animals?  animals aren't driving s.u.v.s.  they're going to suffer because of our actions.

meanwhile a group of whales that normally visit quebec are visiting now, during winter.  bbc news reports that they are currently 'breathing through a hole in the ice' since the hudson bay is frozen and people are saying that it looks like the whales are in a state of panic due to the ice and that the hole they have been breathing through is getting smaller as it gets colder.

and do you remember what happened on 'the simpsons' when lisa helped the dolphin escape?  they showed up able to stand upright and they take over springfield and kick the humans into the ocean?

that hasn't happened yet, but who knows.  anita li ('mashable') has video at mashable of stampeding dolphins:

In a rare display, 1,000 common dolphins stampeded off the coast of California, captivating onlookers on a whale-watching boat.
Footage of the stampede, captured by tour company Dolphin Safari, has attracted nearly 200,000 views since going online Sunday.



i wish we'd cared as much in 2008 as we pretended to care in 2007 about the environment.


let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot::'

Wednesday, January 9, 2013. Chaos and violence continue,  Nouri closes a road and a port, Allawi and Barzani meet, impeachment is floated, a development in the Bradley Manning case, and more.

As protests continue in Iraq, a new development emerges. Al Arabiya explains, "The Iraqi ministry of defense has closed the country's border crossing near Jordan on Wednesday at 6 a.m. (local time) without stated official reasons, an Al Arabiya correspondent reported. The Teraibeel border crossing near Jordan, an important commercial thoroughfare, is located in the Sunni stronghold Anbar province. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets on a daily basis in the area against Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his government, accused of marginalizing Sunnis." Petra notes that the road wasn't the only thing closed, Port Trebil on the border Jordan shares with Iraq was shut down by the Iraq Ministry of Defense and that Anba Province's Vice Chair, Saadoun al-Shaalan, declared that the protesters did not disrupt the port or the international highway, that the provided services to those traveling on the road and he decries the closing of the port. Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) quotes protest organizer Saeed Hmaim stating, "The closure . . . serves only on purpose, and that is to damage the image of the protesters and depict them as troublemakers who want to make the lives of Iraqis more difficult. We will stand firm on our demands, and we will not be shaken by this irresponsible act." UPI continues that thread, "Hikmat Suleiman, a Sunni council leader in Anbar province, said the border closure was to put pressure on protesters. Local leaders expressed similar sentiments, saying the central government was waging an economic war on the anti-Maliki movement, reports al-Arabiya." Emirates News Agency adds that Jordan issued a statement which including that "Jordan is maintaining contact with Iraq through security and diplomatic channels to follow up on the issue." Reuters explains, "The protests have become a major test for Maliki, a Shi'ite nationalist whom many Sunni leaders accuse of marginalising their minority sect, shoring up his own authority and pushing the OPEC country closer to Shi'ite non-Arab power Iran." Alsumaria adds that Anbar Province council officials told them they will sue the federal government over the closing of the Port of Trebil ("without justification") .

Iraq came up in yesterday's US State Dept press briefing with regards to protest.

QUESTION: Iraq?

MS. NULAND: Yeah.

QUESTION: Some Iraqi officials are blaming the U.S. for supporting the demonstrations in Iraq against the government. Do you have any reaction?

MS. NULAND: We've talked about this a couple of times last week. We are not taking a side in any of these internal difficulties inside Iraq. We want to see the Iraqi stakeholders sitting down, talking, meeting, discussing, finding constitutional solutions to the various grievances on all of these issues. Our role has simply been to try to encourage the various stakeholders to talk to each other.

There was no mention of Iraq today.  And Nuland still hasn't called out the violence on Monday against protesters in Mosul  -- at least four were injured -- today Al Mada's Mohammad Sabah reports that 70 MPs have signed off on an investigation into how the protests in Nineveh Province ended in violence. Considering that Nuland's the one who raised the issue of violence -- when she falsely smeared the protesters -- you might think that now that it's been used against the protesters, Nuland would be right up front calling it out.  But nothing.  She's got nothing to say on the topic?  How telling.

Like Nuland's insanity, Nouri's crazy knows no bounds. Press TV quotes him without question stating, "If rallies go on without permission, or carry banners that compromise national security or private work, security should prevent them. " The protests are not illegal, they are not unconstitutional. The judiciary and the Parliament already rejected those claims by Nouri. As for a baner being able to "compromise national security," there's you clue right there that the US government better get its act together real damn quick and stop supporting Nouri. He is Little Saddam and every days he grows into a bigger and bigger despot.

A banner can be a threat to national security? That sounds like something Pinochet would do. When that despot came to power, the Guardian notes there were "four hundred US CIA experts [to] assist Pinochet." Thanks to Ted Koppel's report for Rock Center with Brian Williams (NBC) in December of 2011, we do know that the CIA has maintained an office and presence in Iraq.

MR. KOPPEL: I realize you can't go into it in any detail, but I would assume that there is a healthy CIA mission here. I would assume that JSOC may still be active in this country, the joint special operations. You've got FBI here. You've got DEA here. Can, can you give me sort of a, a menu of, of who all falls under your control?

AMB. JAMES JEFFREY: You're actually doing pretty well, were I authorized to talk about half of this stuff.

As to whether Nouri gets 400 (like Pinochet did) or more CIA agents hasn't been divulged at present.

As more and more walk away from Nouri, Salar Raza (Rudaw) offers his take on the status between the Kurds and Sunnis currently:

Their growing opposition to Iraq's Shiite-led government has pushed the country's Kurds and Sunni Arabs closer together, but problems between the two still persist, MPs from both sides say.

For the past several weeks Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has been besieged on two fronts, first by the autonomous Kurdistan Region's anger over Baghdad's efforts to take over security in disputed northern territories, and lately by Sunni-led protests over alleged discrimination against provinces where they are the majority.

"The Sunni Arab protests in Iraq have unified the Sunni and Kurdish position, but the two sides have not come close enough to solving problems between themselves," said Bakir Hama Sidiq, an MP from the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU).

"It is just events that have brought us and the Sunni Arabs together, nothing more," he added.

He said that while the two sides are in agreement in their opposition to Maliki, a signed alliance between them would have to be "based on belief in the rights of the Kurds, not only on mutual interests." He said he did not believe that the Sunni Arab Iraqiya coalition was ready to accept Kurdish rights, including those over the energy-rich disputed territories.

When talking about the relations between the Kurds and Iraqiya, one thing to note is that Iraq's president, who is Kurdish, is seeking medical help out of the country. Saturday, AP noted that the office of Iraq President Jalal Talabani has finally issued a statement identifying the incident that led to Talabani's hospitalization: a stroke. The incident took place late on December 17th (see the December 18th snapshot) and resulted in Jalal being admitted to Baghdad's Medical Center Hospital. Thursday, December 20th, he was moved to Germany. He remains in Germany currently. Al Mada reports today that Fuad Masum of the Kurdistan Alliance states he visited with Jalal yesterday and that he is "steadily improving" that Jalal was able to shake hands, that he listened and spoke -- and spoke to those in the room in Kurdish, Arabic and English.

Today Ayad Allawi, leader of Iraqiya visited Erbil in the Kurdistan Regional Government (semi-autonomous region in nothern Iraq).  While Allawi is a Shi'ite, Iraqiya is a mixed slate with a large Sunni presence.  Alsumaria reports Allawi was in Erbil to meet with KRG President Massoud Barzani and that the two agreed on a path to solving one of the country's current crises.  As that relationship sorts itself out, Nouri is more and more isolated.  From yesterday's snapshot:

Patrick Markey, Aseel Kami, Raheem Salman and Alistair Lyon (Reuters) report that "Iraqi Sunni Muslim and Kurdish ministers boycotted a cabinet sessions on Tuesday to show support for protests that threaten Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's fragile cross-sectarian government, lawmakers and a government source said."  Karafillis Giannoulis (New Europe) adds, "A senior government source confirmed that the ministers had missed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet Session because the ministers did not see a governmental action to implement protesters' demands."

AFP quoted Iraqiya's Jaber al-Jaberi who stated, "They made a decision to boycott the session today.  They don't see a response from the government to the demands of the protesters . . . or to accepting power-sharing."  Today al-Jaberi tells Reuters that the signatures are being gathered to compell Nouri to appear before Parliament for questioning and he's quoted stating, "The first step is questioning him and we presented a request today.  The next stage will be a vote of no confidence if we can get enough votes."  Could it happen?  Yes.  Nawzad Mahmood (Rudaw) notes:

Iraq's Kurds have been too patient with the Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and it is time to have him impeached, Kurdish MPs said.

"We have to show Maliki our strongest reactions," urged Bakir Hama Siddiq, an MP from the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU).

"Maliki's policies and behavior must be ended. This prime minister has practically proven that he has nothing positive in his agenda," Siddiq said.

"Impeaching Maliki is still on the table and a consensus has formed among the political parties about the dire consequences facing Iraq if his State of Law party continues on its current path," according to Shwan Muhammad Taha, an MP of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Baghdad.

In other news, the Iraq Times has obtained a government document from the Ministry of Planning addressed to the Parliament which details the 'progress' of Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet in 2011.  The newspaper states it is a clear portrait of government failure in all areas.   Less than 30% of tasked goals were accomplished for that year.  The most succesful branch was the Endowment which had a completion rate of 97.86% -- that would be a praise worthy figure for a cabinet or department in any country's national government.  The next most successful would be the Christians Bureau Endowments which had an 82.42% success rate.  The Ministry of Displacement (79.83%), the Supreme Judicial Council (85.79%) and the Ministry of Human Rights (78.73%) were among the other successful departments.  But then there were the very unsuccessful ones.  The Ministry of Education -- so important to what and where Iraq will be 20 years from now -- only managed to meet 5.46% of their written tasks for the year.   (The Ministry of Higher Education did somewhat better with 31.65%).  If you're wondering how so many departments could fail -- and the bulk fail -- you need look no further than the completion rate for Nouri's office.  24.53% was the completion rate for the Prime Minister's Office.

Another distrubing report on the goverment comes via Wael Grace (Al Mada) reports that Parliament's Committee on Human Rights has discovered that 34 prisoners or detainees died in October, November and December 2012.  The last three months alone, saw 34 deaths.  That is an alarming number (the prisons, jails, et al are responsible for maintaining the health of the prisoners and for treating any illness or medical conditions).  In other news of government abuse and neglect, All Iraq News notes Iraqiya MP Muhammad Iqbal notes that human rights continue to be violated and that arrests continue to take place without arrest warrants.  He points out that human rights are linked to a stable and prosperous life and sees the high rate of unemployment and wide rates of illiteracy as alarming signals that human rights may be declining across the board in Iraq.  He specifically calls out the arrest -- the warrant-less arrests -- of Iraqi women because the authorities want the women's sons or husbands or fathers.


All Iraq News notes that today Parliament began the first reading of the bill on the term limits for the three presidencies which, the outlet notes, has to do with limiting Nouri to two terms.  They don't note it but he did make a pledge to limit himself to two terms back in early 2011.  The press ran with it and applauded him.  Here?  We noted it wasn't sincere.  Sure enough, his spokesperson retracted the pledge in a news cycle and ever since, Nouri's attorney repeatedly tells the press that Nouri can run for a third term.

A third term of Nouri?  There would be no one to arrest (other than crooked Nouri).  He's done mass arrests for so long.  With some perspective on that,  Alsumaria notes that Diwaniya Province's Police Brigadier Abdul Jalil al-Asadi told them that they had arrested 4871 people last year, 125 on charges of terrorism (200 on trafficking in drugs).

Moving over to some of today's violence, Alsumaria reports that 2 Iraqi soldiers got into a dispute near the border with Syria and 1 shot the other dead and a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 children and left four more injured. Just 9 days ago, December and 2012 ended and December 31st was a day that saw tremendous violence:

Violence slams Iraq today as both the month and the year wind down. Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) notes Iraq witnessed "a wave of bombings and shootings." EFE counts 23 dead and seventy-five injured.

Specific incidents of violence? All Iraq News notes a Baghdad mortar attack which left "multiple" people injured, an undisclosed number of people were injured in a Tuz Khurmatu car bombing, a Mosul polling stationg was attacked leaving 2 guards dead, there was an attack on a Sahwa leader's home in Diyala Province today that left 1 of his bodyguards dead, 3 Musayyib bombings have left 4 people dead and another seven injured, a Khalis car bombing has left fiften people injured and 2 Balad Ruz bombings left 4 members of one family dead and a child injured. Alsumaria notes that Ammar Youssef survived an attempted assassination by bombing today in Tikrit -- two civilians were injured in the bomb targeting the President of the Salahuddin Province Council. Alsumaria reports a Baghdad car bombing has claimed 3 lives and left sixteen injured. All Iraq News adds that the victims were largely part of a convoy planning a pilgrimage to pay respects to Imam Hussein. AP explains Imam Hussein is the grandson "of the Prophet Muhammad" who died in the 7th century. Press TV notes that the death toll in the Baghdad bombing has risen to 4 and 1 in Latifyah and 1 in Tuz Khurmatu. There was also a bombing in Hilla and Reuters quotes hospital worker Mohammed Ahmed who states, "We heard the sound of a big explosion and the windows of our office shattered. We immediately lay on the ground. After a few minutes I stood up and went to the windows to see what happened. I saw flames and people lying on the ground." On Hilla, Nehal el-Sherif (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) reports, "Seven people were killed and four wounded when gunmen blew up three houses, security sources told the German news agency dpa. The attack followed a car bombing that killed one person and wounded 17 near a Shiite mosque in the city." All Iraq News also notes that visitors to a Shi'ite shrine in Babylon were targeted with a car bombing, leaving 1 dead and three injured. And Alsumaria notes a Kirkuk rocket attack that left 5 police officers dead and six other people injured. RTE offers, "No group has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, which targeted government officials, police patrols and members of both the Sunni and Shia sects."

AFP has an article today that explains why you don't use SITE -- it tells you nothing. A group has claimed credit Rita Katz & company say. What group? Uh . . . uh . . . A group! An al Qaeda front group!!!!! Well that narrows it down. Poor Rita Katz, life was so much easier when she was making things up in a 60 Minutes interview.

Did someone say 60 Minutes? Abu Ghraib is just to the west of Baghdad but is sometimes billed as part of the city of Baghdad. The confusion is aided by the fact that the infamous Abu Ghraib prison is known as Baghdad Central Prison today. (It is in Baghdad Province.) In 2004,

60 Minutes II broadcast the story of Abu Ghraib Prison and the abuses taking place there. Iraqis were being abused by Americans. It was part of terrorizing them and breaking them to use them in the future -- that was the purpose of the photographic evidence that 'intelligence' had guards taking.

The Bahrain News Agency notes, "US defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused of conspiring to torture Abu Ghraib prisoners has settled with former inmates for $5m (£3m, the BCC reported." The defense contractor is Engility Holdings. AFP elaborates that there were 72 plantiffs and they will split the $5.28 million (minus lawyers fees). AP says contractor CACI has yet to settle and that case is set to be tried over the summer.

Hamilton Nolan (Gawker) uses sarcasm in "Abu Ghraib Victims Richly Compensated for Their Troubles" and some may take him as being sincere.  He's not.  He's noting that the victims suffered rape, assault, humiliation, beatings and more and, before any expenses (attorneys' fees, etc) are deducted, each Iraqi would be getting $74,366.  That's really nothing wonderful.  Marjorie Censer (Washington Post) also points out, "For these sizeable contractors, a settlement of several million dollars generally isn't damaging to stock prices, but analysts said the companies are focused on defending their record."

There is a new development in the Bradley Manning case.  Who?

Monday April 5, 2010, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7, 2010, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley Manning and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reported in August 2010 that Manning had been charged -- "two charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The first encompasses four counts of violating Army regulations by transferring classified information to his personal computer between November and May and adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system. The second comprises eight counts of violating federal laws governing the handling of classified information." In March, 2011, David S. Cloud (Los Angeles Times) reported that the military has added 22 additional counts to the charges including one that could be seen as "aiding the enemy" which could result in the death penalty if convicted. The Article 32 hearing took place in December.  At the start of this year, there was an Article 32 hearing and, February 3rd, it was announced that the government would be moving forward with a court-martial.  Bradley has yet to enter a plea and has neither affirmed that he is the leaker nor denied it.  The court-martial was supposed to begin this month was been postponed until after the election .

Last night, Elaine covered Adrian Lamo -- the digusting person who claims he turned Bradley in. Llamo.   Free Speech Radio News broke the news for many today (link is text and audio):

A military judge ruled today that Private First Class Bradley Manning should get 112 days off of his potential sentence, because he was unnecessarily put on suicide prevention watch while detained at Quantico's military prison. Manning's defense had previously asked the tribunal to drop Manning's charges entirely or greatly reduce his sentence, arguing the pretrial conditions violated the Constitution and international law. But the Judge, Colonel Denise Lind, said 8th Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment don't apply to pretrial detention. And according to FIREDOGLAKE reporter Kevin Gosztola, she said Manning was not held in solitary confinement for nine months, because he had some human contact. But many legal and human rights experts, including attorney Michael Ratner with the Center for Constitutional Rights, have called the military's treatment of Manning torture. Ratner told FSRN that the evidence presented at the hearings he attended reminded him of his clients' experience at Guantanamo.
"Bright lights, stress positions, no sleep, and stripping, you look at what happened to Bradley Manning, you have to say yourself: what they did at Guantanamo they're doing to Bradley."

I covered the development for Kat at her site and  Mike offered

They should have let him loose.  They have held him more than long enough, they have denied his right to a speedy trial and they have abused him.
Bradley should have walked today.

It is more than understandable that Mike would feel that way.  Bradely has been treated very badly, it's criminal and it's inhumane.  But it's a military court and they're not big on fairness.  That Judge Lind saw enough to call out what was done to Bradley can be seen as a suprise and a pleasant one.  Lind's finding also creates a way for Bradley's attorneys to argue, in a higher court.   Amy Davidson (The New Yorker) notes that the trial is now set to begin in June after having been set for March -- however, that's the current start date and it could change again -- and that:  "In the preliminary hearings in the court-martial of Private Bradley Manning, at Fort Meade, the lawyers spent a good part of Tuesday arguing about coded advertisements in newspapers during the Civil War." And that if this sort of argument is pursued, it could put the press on trial as well.

International labor journalist, David Bacon, author most recently of the book  Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants (Beacon Press) which won the CLR James Award, is known for text and for photographs.  He continues to use both talents to tell the stories that are a lot more important to society than the multitude of celebrity profiles (that's political celebs as well as entertainment ones) that take up the bulk of the press today.   One example of that can be found in his "Making A Life, But Not A Living" (TruthOut):



I was born in a little town called San Francisco Higos, Oaxaca. I've worked all of my life. I started to work in Baja California when I was a little girl. I've worked in the fields all of my life, because I don't know how to read or write. I never had an opportunity to go to school. I didn't even know what my own name was until I needed my birth certificate for the immigration amnesty paperwork after I'd come to the U.S.
When I was seven, my mother, stepfather and I hitchhiked from Oaxaca to Mexicali, and I lived there for two years. I spent my childhood in Mexicali during the bracero years. I would see the braceros pass through on their way to Calexico, on the U.S. side. I would beg in the streets of Calexico and they would throw me bread and canned beans on their way back home. I also begged in Tijuana. I'm not ashamed to share that because that is how I grew up.
I began working when I was nine years old. In Culiacan I picked cotton, then I went to work in Ciudad Obregon, Hermosillo and Baja California. I would get three pesos a day. From that time on, I have spent my entire life working.

I was born in a little town called San Francisco Higos, Oaxaca. I've worked all of my life. I started to work in Baja California when I was a little girl. I've worked in the fields all of my life, because I don't know how to read or write. I never had an opportunity to go to school. I didn't even know what my own name was until I needed my birth certificate for the immigration amnesty paperwork after I'd come to the U.S.

iraq
rock center with brian williams
nbc news
ted koppel

all iraq news

alsumaria

al mada

wael grace

the iraq times

alrafidayn

the bahrain news agency

the washington post

 the bahrain news agency
david baconiraq

a truest?

this is john glaser (antiwar.com):


People exaggerated Hagel’s views and tried to describe him as a non-interventionist. But his views more closely align with Obama’s as far as engaging in conventional conflicts.
Brennan similarly represents a continuation of Obama policy so far, an unsurprising fact considering he shaped much of Obama’s counter-terrorism policies – like the drone war – himself.

c.i. passed that over.   we've been talking about how hard it's been in the last 2 weeks to get a truest.  we've only had 1 'truest of the week' each week the last 2 weeks at 3rd estate sunday review.

last week, barney frank was a potential and he would have given us 2.

but c.i. said to all of us, 'if you want to vote for barney frank, go for it.  i won't vote for him but i won't blackball his statement.  i will point out that the reason we rarely give politician's a truest is because they rarely stick to their word and by tuesday, if not sooner, barney will be backtracking on hagel.  i promise you that.'

so we backed off barney.  and money brought barney backtracking on hagel.

(c.i. can really tell when some 1's about to cave.)

so we were talking, she and i, about how difficult it was to find a truest.  and we both agreed to be on the look out for some so that hopefully we could have 2 next sunday.

she found glaser, specifically, the 1st 2 sentences i quoted above, and he will be our nominee.  if we're lucky, we'll find another 1 and, if we're really lucky, sunday will bring 2 truests of the week.

that would be nice.

and congratulations to glaser for telling some significant truth.

i appreciate that.  i consider him now to be the non-phyllis bennis.  and i mean that as a compliment.



let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Tuesday, January 8, 2013.  Chaos and violence continue, a dopey feature writer tries to argue that knowing in 2002 how the Iraq War would turn out nullifies a Congressional vote for the war, groupies of a disgraced British doctor insist that dead Iraqis be ignored and that he be allowed to practice medicine again, protests continue, Anbar provides aid to the protesters, Nouri's refusal to listen to the protesters results in a Cabinet walk-out,  and more.       The plan in my head for this snapshot was we would start with women and end with women.  Start with Iraqi women, end with American women.  In between we'd do our usual sight seeing tour.  That changed.  That changed because we have to start with an idiot.  And, the modern pattern in America demonstrates, when we're talking about big idiots in the US -- it's usally a man.  Now maybe that's because they're more apt -- even now -- to be elevated to status for gender -- clearly, they did not get their on their minds.   Case in point, Esquire's chief idiot Charles P. Pierce.  Pierce drips against his y-fronts as he moans for Chuck Hagel, the homophobic, rape-doesn't-result-in-pregnancy, War Hawk that US President Barack Obama has nominated to be the next Secretary of the Defense.  (For those who didn't get their trading cards of Obama's Cabinet: Lots of Men and a Few Token Women, if confirmed by the Senate, Hagel would replace Leon Panetta.)   "I am going to do something I've never done before," Charles P. Pierce opens today -- sending a good portion of the public fleeing.  It's okay, he's keeping his clothes on.  He wants to quote Chuck in full in 2002 before Chuck voted for the Iraq War.  But, hold on, before we get that, we need to stop for a cheesy Esquire profile.  One Pierce did in 2007.  I'm sorry, does Pierce honestly believe that the celebrity profiles Esquire does strikes anyone as journalism?  The New York Times Sunday Magazine does journalism -- even in their profiles.  Vanity Fair sometimes does journalism in their profiles.  Esquire?  As if to proove just how cheesy Esquire is, the excerpt Charles provides starts with Tom Hagel vouching for Chuck -- hard hitting journalism at it's finest.   Then it's endless monologue from Chuck.  Charles seems to think that this responds to "one of the primary arguments made from the Left against" Chuck because he voted for the Iraq War in 2002.   Charles Pierce needs to retire. Esquire will never improve circulation with the very tired and very old Charles writing for it.  Four decades at the magazine?  He's never been Hunter S. Thompson.  He's just someone who knows he can't get work elsewhere.   Part of the reason for that is because he's so very stupid.   We tried explaining this with the idiots who promoted Barack (falsely) as anti-war.  In 2007 and 2008, as people pointed to that bad, small speech from 2002, we pointed to Barack's record when he got to the Senate.  He voted exactly as Hillary did.  In the primaries, he wanted special credit for being against the war (no, he really wasn't, it was a fairy tale, Bill Clinton was right) and claimed this proved sharper judgment than his contemporaries like Hillary and John Edwards and Joe Biden.    But here's the problem with that.  If a five-year-old child burns their hand on the stove, you comfort the child, you treat the burn.  But if the child's smart enough to know that touching the flames on the stove will burn your hand and that child burns his or her hand, you're dealing with a different issue, you're dealing with a child who knew better but chose to ignore the knowledge.   If Barack believed the words he offered in 2002 and then goes to the Senate and votes for the war over and over and over, that's worse than stupid Hillary, John and Joe who apparently were too dumb to grasp what would happen.  (In fairness to Hillary and Joe, they didn't claim they voted for one thing only for it to turn out to be something else.  John did and Elizabeth Edwards did for him in an interview with Ruth Conniff for The Progressive.)   So if Hagel stood and listed all these things that could go wrong before he voted?  He looks even more empty, more craven and more like a War Hawk.  If he could picture many awful things that ended up coming true, he has no defense for voting the war.  He knew better.   To go to children again.  If you are 8-years-old and playing frisbee in the front yard with your older and wiser brother Chuck and a window gets broken by the frisbee, your parents are going to let you slide.  You're the child who wasn't old enough to know better.  But Chuck?  There's no slide for him.  He has to be accountable for playing frisbee by the windows when he was old enough to know better and old enough to know something could get broken.   I hope -- I really, really hope -- that Charles P. Pierce just really wanted to plus his 2007 (bad) feature article on Hagel.  I really hope that Pierce isn't so stupid that he thinks providing the over 2100 words Chuck Hagel spoke on the Senate floor about why war with Iraq was wrong doesn't excuse Hagel's vote and, in fact, damns Hagel because he knew better and still voted for the war.  Again, hopefully Pierce just wanted to plug his own (universally ignored) 2007 feature.  Hopefully, even Pierce isn't stupid enough to think that speech improves Hagel's image.   Let's move from an American idiot to a British one: Derek Keilloh.  Keilloh was a doctor who 'treated' Baha Mousa.  From the July 13, 2009 snapshot: Moving over to England, Matthew Weaver (Guardian) notes that Iraqi Baha Mousa's death at the age of 26 while in British custody in September 2003 is the subject of a public inquiry in England which began today and that, "A central issue of the inquiry is why five 'conditioning techniques' -- hooding prisoners, putting them in stress positions, depriving them of sleep, depriving them of food and water, and playing white noise -- were used on Iraq detainees.  The techniques, inflicted on IRA suspects, were banned in 1972 by then prime minister, Edward Heath."  The Telegraph of London offers that Baha "was beaten to death" while in British custody, "sustaining 93 separate injuires, including fractured ribs and a broken nose."  The Telegraph also notes that the inquiry was shown video of Corporal Donald Payne yelling and screaming, "shouting and swearing at the Iraqis as they are force to main painful 'stress position'."   From the December 17th snapshot:   Today, Andrew Johnson (Belfast Telegraph) reports the latest, "A former British Army doctor has been found guilty of attempting to cover up the death of an Iraqi civilian who was fatally beaten by British troops in 2003, and of failing to protect other detainees."  Peter Magill (Lancashire Telegraph) notes of the Baha Mousa inquiry,  "Another detainee, Ahmed Al Matari, who had also been seen by Dr Keilloh at the detention centre after being kicked in the kidneys and legs, accused him of behaving like a 'criminal' during."  Press TV adds, "Britain's Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service will now decide what penalty the British doctor will face."  The editorial board of Scotland's Herald weighs in, "Army medics cannot afford to be squeamish but ignoring such brutality amounts to a betrayal of all the servicemen and women who behave decently and within the rules. It also acts as a recruiting sergeant for extremism and destroys at a stroke any goodwill built up with the local population. It is shameful that it has taken so long to uncover the truth. Though maltreatment of detainees may not have been routine, the fact that a number of other such inquiries are still crawling through the system suggests this was more than the work of a 'few bad apples'."     And the punishment?  From the December 24th snapshot:   Yesterday, Ashleigh Barbour (Press and Journal) reported Dr. Derek Keilloh had been "struck off the medical register."  The Yorkshire Post adds, "The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service announced its decision to ban Dr Keilloh from working as a doctor yesterday after finding him guilty of misconduct." The Herald Scotland explained, "The MPTS recognised Dr Keilloh, now a GP at Mayford House Surgery in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, never harmed Mr Mousa and did everything possible to save his life, in a setting that was 'highly charged, chaotic, tense and stressful'. But they ruled he must have seen the injuries and, especially as a doctor, had a duty to act."  Mary Gearin (Australia's ABC) quotes MPTS Chair Brian Alderman telling Keilloh, "The panel determined that erasure is the only appropriate sanction in this case.  Given the gravity and nature of the extent and context of your dishonesty, it considers that your misconduct is fundamentally incompatible with continued registration."   BBC News reports today that "about 300 people" are calling for him "to be reinstanted."  They say that they know him and are his former patients and he's just wonderful.  No, he's not.  If he had any kind of character worth praising, he would have issued a statement saying, "Please stop calling for me to be reinstated."  He failed to do his job.  There are serious ethical issues here.  Oh, he did a great job on your boo-boos?  Well you're British.  He's not accused of enabling the mistreatment of British citizens.  It is an insult to the Iraqi people that so few have been punished for the murder of Baha.  It was murder.  He was an innocent.  He is dead now.   Grasp that.  Keilloh can do whatever he wants with the rest of his life.  That option has been forever denied to Baha.  Baha Mousa had a wife, he had children.  He was a hotel clerk.  He never should have been rounded up.  Once rounded up, he shouldn't have been beaten.  He was and others were as well.  That's due to the fact that Keilloh didn't maintain professional standards, didn't follow basic ethics of medicine.   Baha Mousa is dead.  The Telegraph of London has a photo of him with his wife Yasseh and each are holding a child -- their children, their sons Hussein and Hassan.  Little boys who no longer have a father.  Any suffering Keiloh may experience is not going to trump that.  Two little children lost their father.  A woman lost her husband.  Not by chance, not by accident, but by the actions certain individuals took.  Keiloh's professional embarrassment/set-back doesn't begin to compare with the world that was torn from Yasseh Hussein and her two sons.  If Keiloh had character, he'd tell the people demanding he be re-instated to leave it alone.    Yasseh Hussein is only one of the many widows produced by the Iraq War.  The International Committee of the Red Cross has posted a brief documentary on YouTube about Iraq's widows  that the Arte network produced.  Here's an excerpt.     ARTE:  From above, Baghdad seems to be a city like any other, far removed from the violence of the past nine years. But sometimes the traces of war have a human face.  On every street corner, you glimpse black silhouettes.  These are the widows of Iraq.  In a country haunted by war, no one takes notice of these living ghosts.  There are more than a million widows in Iraq with 400,000 in Baghdad alone. Tradition dictates that these widows be taken in by their husband's family.  Um Barak and her children live with 24 people in 50 square meters.    UM BAKAR:  (gesturing around the small, single room):  We use these blankets as a bed.  We have a gas stove to keep warm and we eat here.    ARTE:  In this time of conflict when people are already struggling to cope, a widow's often a burden on her husband's family.  Left to fend for herself, Um Barak raises her children alone in this tiny room.   UM BARAK:  Which is bigger, the earth or the sun?   CHILD:  The sun.   UM BARAK:  Okay.  What about the stars?  Are they bigger than the sun?   ARTE:  What is it like, living here?   UM BARAK:  What do you think?  We live on top of each other.  It's very hard for us. Ask them.  They have no freedom.  No one here is free -- not my husband's family, not us.  We're suffocating.   ARTE:  Power cuts and water shortages are a daily reality for Um Barak.  Her husband was kidnapped and killed six years ago.  Since then, she receives only $300 every two months.  It seems there's no chance for a better life with barely enough to give her sons an occassional treat.   [At a market.]   UM BARAK:  Do you want a fruit juice?   CHILD:  No.   UM BARAK:  You sure?   ARTE:  Is state aid enough?   UM BARAK:  $300 isn't enough for one month.  It doesn't matter who you are.   $300 wouldn't even be enough for a week even and I have to make it last for two months.   ARTE:  In an attempt to find a solution to her problems, Um Barek regularly goes to the education center for widows.  Around 30 women get together there every week.  Today, this young woman from the center has handed out a questionairre about religious tolerance.   CENTER WORKER: Don't copy.  Answer the questions yourself.   ARTE:  But their attention soon returns to their daily lives.   WOMAN 1:  All of this is the government's fault.  The government has no respect for widows.  What are we supposed to do with $300 every two months or if we get nothing like this lady here.  How much do members of Parliament get?  Do they think about what women have to endure in our society when they lose their husbands? These are mothers after all.  It is up to you, humanitarian organizations, to find a solution for us widows.   CENTER WORKER:  We're not from the government.  We're a humanitarian association so you can speak freely.   ARTE:  This center is one of the few places where these women can express themselves.  It's a much needed outlet in a society where widows are often  mistreated by their husband's families.   CENTER WORKER:  Couldn't you make meat patties? Snacks? Kibobs?  And sell them? WOMAN 2: You really think I could do that?  My husband's family would never  allow it.     Such passes for life in Iraq.  Iraq rakes in billions each year on oil.  Where does the money go?  It doesn't go into infrastructure -- potable water and reliable and constant electricity remain elusive dreams -- and it doesn't go into caring for Iraq's widows and orphans.  Were it not for Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqiya, Nouri would have ended the food-ration card system weeks ago as he planned to.  Instead, people called out Nouri's decisions.  It was noted that in poverty plagued Iraq, taking away the food staples guaranteed to each family by that card would force women and children further into poverty.  That didn't trouble Nouri, he was still willing to go ahead with it.  Moqtada and Iraqiya not only called out the decision but, with the support of the Iraqi people, were able to shame Nouri into backing off.     If you're not grasping how Nouri is failing the Iraqi people, refer to this graph at Niqash offering the government's annual budget.  In 2003, it was only 6.1 billion dollars (US).  Today?  118.4 billion dollars.  And yet the Iraqi people continue to do without.    Iraqi females -- women and girls -- are also at the risk of torture and rape in Iraq's prisons and detention centers.  Felicity Arbuthnot (Pravda) notes that and also notes:   In the light of the fact that it transpires that twenty-seven Foreign Office lawyers concluded unanimously that the Iraq invasion of Iraq was illegal, I write to draw your attention to just a few of the the chilling events currently taking place in Iraq under the US-UK's despotic, imposed, puppet Prime Minister. Firstly, here is a list of prisons, detention facilities, interrogation centres and numbers of those held in each, as far as can be ascertained in the circumstances. As you will surely know, people are routinely arbitrarily detained for weeks, months, even years, often without trial, and with one, usually under a totally inadequate or corrupt legal system. On the 3rd of January 2013, Nuri al-Maliki carried out the death sentence on Ahmed al-Samarrai and two other men from Mosul, on charges of his resisting the U.S. and Iran occupation. Resisting an unlawful occupation is, of course, a legal right. His body was not delivered to his family; a funeral will take place in his honor, in gatherings, in Anbar and elsewhere in Iraq. (Should you question the US occupation since they "pulled out" last December, just see the Vatican City size US embassy and its thousands of mercenaries, intelligence operators and nefarious other spooks and enforcers.) Early this morning (the 4th of January), al-Maliki's  forces - wearing all black clothing - entered Taji Prison and took one hundred prisoners from the western city of Ramadi to an unidentified place. Death squads come to mind - again. Al-Maliki has also ordered an on sight shoot-to-kill policy toward protesters. By August 31st, there had been ninety-six executions in 2012, with twenty-six people reportedly being executed on both the 27th and 29th of August. Few details of those executed or their identities were released. They are simply the disappeared in the tradition of all despots. Iraq: "... has a huge problem with torture and unfair trials ...", Human Rights Watch, who produced the report, pointed out.   Rightly or wrongly, Nouri is seen as using the death penalty to kill Sunnis while releasing Shi'ites who have murdered other Iraqis.  He's seen as crowding the prisons with Sunnis via the mass arrests that target them.  He's seen as hurrying to execute Sunnis out of fear that a (long promised but never delivered) amnesty law might allow some of them to be released.  An amnesty law never makes it out of Parliament.  September and October saw serious attempts at getting it passed into law; however, Nouri's State of Law opposed the bill.   September 27th saw a major attack on a Tikrit prison.   From the next day's snapshot:   Alsumaria reports the spokesperson for the Sadr bloc in Parliament, Mushriq Naji, is pointing out that yesterday's assault and escape is what happens when corruption reigns and the institutions of reform fail and he specifically notes the faliure of the Parliament to pass the amnesty law.  All Iraq News adds that there is a demand to reform state institutions immediately.  The National Alliance line comes from one of their MPs who insists that political parlies helped with the prison break and this is an attempt to provide pressure to pass the amnesty law.  Al Mada notes Ahmed Chalabi is calling for MPs to propose amendments to the amnesty law to address whatever concerns they have.  This is most likely aimed at State of Law since they've been the biggest obstacle to the passage of an amnesty law.     Dar Addustour reports  that Thursday is supposed to see another vote on the proposed Amnesty Law.  This has gone on for years.  The amnesty was being discussed while Bully Boy Bush was still occupying the White House. You cannot end a war without an amnesty.  Violence in 2012 appears to back that up.   Meanwhile AFP reports that Nouri's thugs and ass kissers rallied in Kut, Diwaniyah, Karbala and Samawa -- if all are added together "thousands" were in the street declaring their undying love for Nouri al-Maliki.  If that seems like a large number, you haven't been paying attention.  Ran Alaaldin (The National) notes that Friday saw 60,000 alone in Falluja.   The protests against Nouri continue in Iraq.    All Iraq News reports that Nouri's advisor Amer Khuzaie took to the TV to proclaim that Nouri has responded to the protesters "legitimate" demands.  They note there were no specifics given.   Alsumaria notes that Iraqiya MP Hamid al-Mutlaq states that Nouri needs to grasp how serious these demonstrations are and that any attempt to suppress them would be devastating and cause a rift between the government on one side and the citizens on the other.    He also objected to the use of the military to suppress the demonstrations and noted that these had been peaceful demonstrations. Yesterday at the Mosul protests, the Iraqi military showed up and attacked the protesters.  Kitabat notes that they fired guns and used batons injuring at least four and they review the demands of the protesters which include that those arrested who work for Minister of Finance Rafie al-Issawi be transferred to the Anbar Province's court system (Baghdad is seen as a kangaroo court controlled by Nouri), that Article IV be suspended (and with it the Justice and Accountability Commission), the release of detainees, holding security personnel accountable for rape and negligence of prisoners and detainees, stop the executions, pass an amnesty law, checks and balances on all the government institutions and the military, withdraw the Iraqi army from cities and end the operations in the governorates (reference to Tigris Operation Command which Nouri sent into the disputed areas), ensure that the judicial bodies are neutral from political interference, ban sectarianism from phrases and logos of the state institutions, and end the random night raids, speed up the professionalization of the Federal Supreme Court so that the judges do not belong to a political party or bloc. Patrick Markey, Aseel Kami, Raheem Salman and Alistair Lyon (Reuters) report that "Iraqi Sunni Muslim and Kurdish ministers boycotted a cabinet sessions on Tuesday to show support for protests that threaten Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's fragile cross-sectarian government, lawmakers and a government source said."  Karafillis Giannoulis (New Europe) adds, "A senior government source confirmed that the ministers had missed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet Session because the ministers did not see a governmental action to implement protesters' demands."     Kitatbat reports that in Anbar Province, the people are providing food and medical services to the protesters on a daily basis in a show of solidarity with those who have blocked the international highway that links Baghdad to Jordan and Syria.  There is a food pavilion (photo with the article) that prepares food daily -- bread, rice, meat and soup -- and a tent has been set up with doctors, nurses and pharmacists.  The tribal leaders see it as "an honor" and "a duty" to feed the protesters who have been protesting night and day. All Iraq News notes that 50 MPs have signed on to question Nouri before Parliament.  There are a number of things he could be questioned on.  For example, October 9th, Nouri was strutting across the world stage as he inked a $4.2 billion weapons deal with Russia. In the time since, the deal has fallen apart amidst accusations of corruption with Nouri's former spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh having left his position and the country and stating that he is innocent but that there are attempts to blame him for the corruption.  Nouri's son is also whispered to have benefited from an allegedly crooked deal.   Last week, the Iraq Times noted it was Nouri who finger-pointed at Ali al-Dabbagh and that Iraqiya was stating he was attempting to obscure details and that the names of all involved needed to be made public.  Dar Addustour reports that the Parliamentary committees investigating the deal (there are several including defense, integrity and security) have found that there were two prices.  There was the negotiated price that the first delegation arrived at with the Russian government and then there was a different price when the second delegation negotiated.  The difference between the two?  Over 50%.  The price agreed to in the first round somehow more than doubled.  Mohammad Sabah (Al Mada) speaks with an unnamed member of the Integrity Committee who states the Committee will release their final report today. Along with the reports that all three Committees are supposed to release and the move to question Nouri before Parliament, there was talk in the last days of a no-confidence vote in Nouri.  When there's talk of a possible no-confidence vote on Nouri, what does State of Law do?  That's right they start saying they'll launch a no-confidence vote on Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi.  Dar Addustour reports the latest whispered threats of that.     Through Monday, Iraq Body Count counts 75 people killed in violence in Iraq so far.  In  today's reported violence, All Iraq News notes a Mosul bombing hs claimed the life of 1 person.  Alsumaria notes the corpse of 1 soldier was discovered in Kirkuk.  Alsumaria also notes a Baquba car bombing  which claimed 4 lives and left ten more people injured.     xxx iraq kitabat al mada fakhri karim mohammad sabah all iraq news alsumaria the belfast telegraph andrew johnson  matthew weaver the guardian the telegraph of london press tv the lancashire telegraph

revenge

that's Isaiah's  The World Today Just Nuts' "The Curse of Chuckie"from yesterday.

yesterday also saw 'revenge' return with new episodes on abc.

my thoughts?

i wasn't real impressed.  in fact, watching, i thought of the point ava and c.i. made 2 sundays ago in 'TV: The New Conformity'  when they wrote about 'revenge':



With CBS axing Partners, The New Normal forgetting the humor and NBC benching Smash (the same sex couple is played by Christian Borle and Leslie Odom Jr.), that really only left one show and one character.
But what a character.  Yes, we mean fan favorite Nolan Ross of ABC's Revenge.  But a funny thing happened on the way to season two, gay Nolan became bi-sexual Nolan and Gabriel Mann's character got a girlfriend.  Squint your eyes and Mann looks like Al Corely and it's as though we're watching Stephen Carrington struggle with being gay all over again on Dynasty.
As if that wasn't bad enough, they've added Barry Sloane to the cast this year.  Sloane's wonderful eye candy and probably the best male actor on the show but let's not pretend that the writers don't seem much more interested in him than they do in Emily VanCamp's character.  When you're sidelining the lead character, it means you're trying to parcel out a storyline.  Here's a suggestion for show runner Mike Kelley, get some new storylines and do so quickly or Revenge will get the axe in May. 

barry sloane is the australian.

yes, he got more to do than emily last night.  yes, he was in this story and that story and had lasers trained on him when he met with the initiative and they want him to betray takada and every 1 else or they'll kill his sister who, they say, is still alive.

and he's helping emily trick daniel.

but when emily kisses daniel, we see australian guy get ticked off like this is going to push him to work with the initiative.

if emily's an extra on 'revenge,' i'm not interested.

with victoria doing so little and emily doing very little and amanda doing nearly nothing while the stories revolve around daniel, conrad, australian guy and jack, i'm really not into this show.

next week better be a better episode.

let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

 

Monday, January 7, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, US President Barack Obama nomintes Chuck Hagel and John Brennan for posts, protests continue in Iraq, the Iraqi military attacks Mosul protesters, both State of Law and Iraqiya walk away from talk of dissolving Parliament, and more.

Today US President Barack Obama nominated former Senator Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense.  Right-winger Andrew Sullivan is frothing at the mouth in joy.  Of course he would, Andrew Sullivan was an Iraq War cheerleader.  He believes in rewriting history just like Hagel.  So he portrays Hagel as some sort of brave leader.  David Corn (Mother Jones) notes reality and does so by dropping back to a 2006 piece he wrote about Hagel where Corn noted:

Of all the senators eyeing the White House in 2008, this Nebraskan [Hagel]  was the only one to express deep reservations about the resolution -- while still voting for it. "America -- including the Congress -- and the world, must speak with one voice about Iraqi disarmament, as it must continue to do so in the war on terrorism," Hagel said in explaining his vote. But he was prescient: "If disarmament in Iraq requires the use of force, we need to consider carefully the implications and consequences of our actions. The future of Iraq after Saddam Hussein is also an open question. Some of my colleagues and some American analysts now speak authoritatively of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds in Iraq, and how Iraq can be a test case for democracy in the Arab world. How many of us really know and understand much about Iraq, the country, the history, the people, the role in the Arab world? I approach the issue of post-Saddam Iraq and the future of democracy and stability in the Middle East with more caution, realism and a bit more humility." He added, "Imposing democracy through force in Iraq is a roll of the dice. A democratic effort cannot be maintained without building durable Iraqi political institutions and developing a regional and international commitment to Iraq's reconstruction. No small task."

Hagel was disappointed in the discourse within the Senate: "We should spend more time debating the cost and extent of this commitment, the risks we may face in military engagement with Iraq, the implications of the precedent of United States military action for regime change and the likely character and challenges of a post-Saddam Iraq. We have heard precious little from the President, his team, as well as from this Congress, with a few notable exceptions, about these most difficult and critical questions." And he cautioned humility: "I share the hope of a better world without Saddam Hussein, but we do not really know if our intervention in Iraq will lead to democracy in either Iraq or elsewhere in the Arab world." Bottom line: Hagel feared the resolution would lead to a war that would go badly but didn't have the guts to say no to the leader of his party.

That's an honest appraisal of someone who did nothing.  If you doubt how little Hagel did grasp that he's also falsely praised for being against Bully Boy Bush's so-called 'surge.'  Yet, if you visit Senator Tom Coburn's website, you find this:

Nebraska's senators voted opposite each other, even though both are co-sponsors of the proposed Senate resolution that "disagrees" with Bush's troop buildup.
GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel voted with his party to filibuster his own resolution disapproving of the president's plan, even though he has been the most outspoken Republican in Congress opposing Bush's troop escalation.
At a recent Senate hearing, for example, Hagel wagged his finger and chided senators hesitant about debating the war. "If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes," he said then. Hagel's spokesman, Mike Buttry, said Hagel voted for the filibuster Monday to preserve the minority party's rights.

So Hagel gets a ton of press attention for being against the 'surge' and proposes co-proposes a resolution against the 'surge' to get even more attention but when it's time to vote, he votes against the resolution he co-sponsored -- meaning he got all the press for a popular position among the public but he didn't actually take that position on the record February 7, 2007.   It's a cute little con game.   Sort of like an insincere 'apology' offered to circumvent valid criticism.  Wayne Anderson offers "2013: The Year of the Anti-Gay Non-Apology" (Huffington Post) which includes Hagel's nonsense on the list:

And last but certainly not least, we have President Obama's apparently favored choice for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, offering up one of the most, if not the most, blatantly unbelievable non-apologies when he decided, after 14 years of silence, to finally apologize for his repulsive anti-gay remarks about the first openly gay American ambassador, James Hormel, but only after President Obama started floating his name as a potential Secretary of Defense. And even then Hagel couldn't actually admit that his comments were wrong, saying that he just feels that they were "insensitive."

Hagel apologists like to excuse away the attack on Hormel as oh-so-long-ago.  But it's not that simple.  Michelangelo Signorile (Huffington Post) explains, "Hagel scored a zero on the Human Rights Campaign's Senate scorecard between 2001 and 2006 (which is not that long ago), voting against pro-gay initiatives and for anti-gay ones, and was on record as opposing allowing gays to serve openly in the military (calling it a 'social experiment'), let alone representing this country as ambassadors."

October 3rd, the Defense Dept announced that three US soldiers had died October 1st in Afghanistan following a suicide bombing.  The dead were Wilmington, North Carolina's Sgt Thomas J. Butler IV, Maysville, North Carolina's Sgt Jeremy F. Hardison and Raeford, North Caroline's Sgt Donna R. Johnson.  All three were under the age of 30, all three were married.   Sgt Donna R. Johnson was an Iraq War veteran having also served in Iraq from 2007 to 2008.  Michael Futch (Fayetteville Observer) reported on her October funeral service:

A U.S. flag draped Sgt. Johnson's casket, and a framed photograph of the soldier wearing an Army duty uniform was nearby, along with a table displaying a number of her military medals.

Throughout the service, Sgt. Johnson's spouse, Tracy Joe Dice, sat with her head bowed.

"I can say when God took Donna, he took one of the best," Jessica Rivera, a lifelong friend, said during the service.

Dee Charles, another close friend, called Sgt. Johnson a confidante and someone she trusted.

"Most importantly," Charles said, "she loved all of us."

Like her father, Philas, a great basketball player, Donna Johnson was athletic.

Like her mother, Sandra, a teacher for 35 years, she excelled in the classroom. Donna Johnson had been an honors student.

Donna Johnson's spouse was not treated in the same fashion the other two spouses were because Johnson was in a same-sex marriage.  Her spouse was Staff Sgt Tracy Dice.  Colin Kelly (Military Times) produced a video of an interview with widow Staff Sgt Racy Die and Donna's mother Sandra.  Transcript:

Staff Sgt Tracy Dice:  I told her I didn't want her to go.  I was honest with her.  But I knew that, had I asked her not to go, it probably would have been one of those things that surfaced later on.  It seemed like we had finally gotten to the point in our relationship that we had perfected it.  It was just going so well.  It was going so perfect.    You know, whether you're deployed or you're waiting on someone to come home, it's very easy to just bury yourself into a pillow and sleep the day away because it makes things go by so much quicker.  So I was home that day.  And I thought, "You know, I'm going to sleep in because I don't have to get up and go to work."  And I was just going to wait for her to call and -- uh -- after the time -- which was like the latest time that I thought she would be calling, I -- uh -- I got up and I -- I started to panic.  Her sister called me back and told me that the military was at her house and that I needed to come there.  There Casualty Assistance Officer, CAO, yeah, he's got to work within the confines of the law and stuff like that and he did everything that he possibly could for me.  I mean it's a sad statement that three soldiers lost their lives and all three of them were married.  But one of the soldier's spouses wasn't treated -- She was treated as if she was single.  If someone else had another gay spouse is to through this and they don't have any of that -- if they don't have family support and they are not in the military, it's too easy for them to get shut out and not have any rights whatsoever.  The military can't do anything with DOMA [Defense Of Marriage Act] being changed.  That's just the bottom line.

Sandra Johnson: They gave their life for their country.  They served their country.  Man, woman, it doesn't matter.   They served their country.

Staff Sgt Tracy Dice:  It's a sad state of affairs that America would let one of their soldiers fall and not take care of the soldier's spouse.  Regardless of who that spouse is. And that is a sad statement.  We gay soldiers have been here the entire time.  And we're not going to go away.  Everybody just knows about us now.

Tracy Dice is thought to be the first widow from a same-sex marriage since Don't Ask, Don't Tell was lifted.  Who's going to implement policies in favor of Dice and others in similar situations?  Who's going to advocate for them?  They are part of today's military and they serve with honor.  Will a homophobe like Chuck Hagel be able to honor their service?  It's a valid question.  As Mark Thompson (Time magazine) observed last month, "With the end of 'Don't ask, don't tell' and the growing legalization of same-sex marriages come the challenges of adopting military life to new mores."  And Hagel can provide leadership on that issue?

Who will they look to

In whose hands will their future lie

Who's going to tell them, "Stand up again.

Why not, why not give it one more try?"

-- "Who Will They Look To" written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, first appears on their classic Street Opera

One of the two biggest issues facing the military right now is the rate of rape and assault in the ranks.  Laura Bassett (Huffington Post) notes that Hagel's "past opposition to abortion rights for rape victims in the military does not seem to be a sticking point for progressives."  It's cute the way the media ignores left criticism of the choice of Hagel.  I thought Daily Kos was supposed to be the home of 21st century progressivism?  As FloraLine pointed out at Daily Kos:


 He voted six times for banning servicewomen from being able to get an abortion in military medical facilities WITH THEIR OWN MONEY even if they are stationed in countries where abortion is forbidden for civilians (and he succeeded). In twelve years' time. He also thinks pregnancies caused by rape are "irrelevant" when talking about his no-exceptions-anti-choice position because they don't happen a lot - while fully knowing that a servicewoman is twice as likely to be raped by a fellow American than a civilian is, even, and that the majority of abortions in the military are performed because the subject was raped. Hagel's past has had more than serious consequences for hundreds, if not thousands, of valuable people in the military. Many people got fired for returning home to be able to get an abortion, while many others' careers were terminated because (surprise!) literally forcing unwanted pregnancies to continue creates single moms.

Emily Bockrath has started a petition at ForceChange.com entitled "Protect America's Servicewomen: Don't Appoint Anti-Choice Senator to Defense Secretary Position."  In September, NOW was calling out US House Rep Todd Akin and insisting that all rape must be taken seriously.  They have no comment for the record on Chuck Hagel.  That's our 'feminist' media.  Martha left a comment at Ms which she copied and pasted to me.  We'll see if it makes it up at the site but we'll include it here.  Martha's commenting in response to the post "Who needs feminist media? Answers from short-essay contest winner:"

Martha says:

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

January 7, 2013 at 3:27 pm

I need feminist media. Please let me know when one emerges. Seeing that Ms. is silent as Chuck Hagel is named the Secretary of Defense nominee indicates we can't count on Ms. Too bad for our sisters in the military considering Hagel's record. But don't worry, the junior Senator from New Hampshire just knows everything's going to work out fine and Hagel's a blessing.
Point of fact, he's anti-choice don't tell me that won't impact the way resources are allotted, the way the command responds to rape and so much more.
I long for Ms. to stop being the kid sister of the Democratic Party and start being the voice of feminism.

Every year Martha and Shirley do the community book review, the most recent being "2012 In Books."  Meanwhile the whoring never ends as those who should stand up stay silent or go along.  There is no strength or honesty in our political 'leaders.'  Tune them out and listen to One Direction's "Kiss You" (written by Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, Savan Kotecha, Shellback, Kristian Lundin, Albin Nedle and Kristoffer Fogelmark) which has more passion, strength and guts then anything you'll find in Congress and might actually help you through the day -- something our Congress no longer cares about doing.  If that seems harsh, I'm not expecting them to lead on Barack's other nominee today, John Brennan to be CIA Director.  Drone Warrior Brennan should be behind bars.  For more on Drone Warrior Brennan, read Howard LaFranchi's piece for the Christian Science Monitor.  This is from Jon Swaine (Telegraph of London):

A career spy who served as CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia, Mr Brennan was also accused of being complicit in the agency's torture of terror suspects under former president George W. Bush.

Controversy over his involvement in the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" is believed to have prevented Mr Obama from nominating Mr Brennan to lead the CIA after his 2008 election win.

He promised to ensure the work of the CIA "always reflects the liberties, the freedoms, and the values that we all hold dear".

 

Remember, if you broke the law and/or showed shoddy judgment, you're a perfect Cabinet fit for Barack.  One outlet that didn't ignore left objections to both nominations was Free Speech Radio News today which featured a report by Alice Ollstein.  We'll note this on Brennan.

Alice Ollstein:  Yet many legal rights and human rights experts including the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International  are critical of Brennan's involvement in and support for the Bush era torture program, the NSA's wiretapping and ongoing drone strikes overseas.  Some of these concerns stymied Brennan's nomination for the same job in Obama's first term.  Brennan was the first Obama administration official to speak openly about the targeted drone killing program.  Yet he and that agency refused to disclose to Congress or the public who was on the so-called 'kill list' and why as well as the legal justification for signature strikes that target anyone in a certain area with certain characteristics. Because of this, Zeke Johnson with Amnesty International questioned Obama's praise of Brennan's transparency values.

Zeke Johnson:  So much is still shrouded in secrecy that the government -- sorry, the public still doesn't have enough information to even fully know what's happening in our names.

At the US State Dept today, Victoria Nuland briefed the press on the day's nonsense.  She avoided Iraq and the declawed tabbys that pass for the press allowed it.  It's strange that Icky Vicky, poster girl for the neocons and Dick Cheney's former Deputy National Security Advisor, finds time to falsely attack Iraqi protesters and accuse them of violence but when the Iraqi military attacks protesters, she has nothing to say.

Protests continued today in Iraq and they were injured in Mosul.  All Iraq News reports the Iraqi military attacked the protesters today.  First they fired shots in the air and second they attacked the protesters with batons.  The army then closed the public square.  Alsumaria counts at least four wounded demonstrators.   Al Sharqiya reports that soldiers using batons beat protesters.   They add that they protesters had been taking part in a sit-in when the miliatry attacked with batons and at least three people were injured (they have a photo of at least two people on stretchers).   Reuters quotes Nineveh Province Governor Atheel (Ethel) al-Nujaifi declaring, "Security forces opened fire and used batons to disperse demonstrators."  This assault was in contrast to the wishes of the Nineveh government (Mosul is in Nineveh Province).  As Alsumaria notes, the provincial government had ordered that the square be open to the protesters.  Alsumaria notes that Nineveh Council has announced they are opening an investigation as a result of the military crackdown on the protesters. 

Despite the military crackdown, Al Sharqiya reports that Nineveh Governor Atheel (Ethel) al-Nujaifiand Sheikh Abdullah al-Yawar declared the public square open in defiance of the military closure.  This was not the first time the provincial government had order the public square opened.   Saturday security forces attempted to prevent protesters from entering Liberal Square in Mosul, Alsumaria reported; however,  Nineveh Province Governor Atheel al-Nujaifi (also spelled Ethyl) ordered that the square be opened and that protesters be allowed to demonstrate there.  All Iraq News added that al-Nujaifi and other Iraiqya deputies took part in a demonstration in Liberal Square last Sunday. 

Sunday, students demonstrated in Anbar Province, Al Mada reports, and planned for the Ramadi sit-in to cotninue today on the 92nd anniversary of the establishment of the Iraqi army.

December 20th, Nouri ordered the arrest of 150 workers (including bodyguards) of Minister of Finance Rafie al-Issawi.   Daniel R. DePetris (CNN) explains:

Late last month, apparently with no notice from Iraq's security ministries or the prime minister's office, Iraqi police scrambled into the Finance Ministry building and detained roughly 150 bodyguards who worked for Rafa al-Issawi, al-Maliki's chief minister for financial affairs.  Dozens of those guards were later released upon further questioning, but police kept nine and charged them with terrorist-related offenses.

Issawi is not only a member of a staunch anti-al-Maliki party, Iraqiya, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, but also happens to be one of the government's top Sunni officials.  Predictably, Issawi reacted to the arrests with complete shock and some understandable anger, arguing that he was not even consulted about the sweep.

But Issawi was not the only one angry over the operation.  After news broke that the Shia-led government was once again targeting the staff of a top Sunni politician, tens of thousands of Iraqis from the country's Sunni heartland flocked to the streets in protest.  The protests were so large that the major highway connecting Baghdad to Jordan and Syria was blocked, sending a symbolic message to al-Maliki that his support among the Sunni community, particularly in Anbar Province, has hit new lows.

The next day, December 21st, the protests start --  from that day's snapshot:



After morning prayers, Kitabat reports, protesters gathered in Falluja to protest the arrests and Nouri al-Maliki.  They chanted down with Nouri's brutality and, in a move that won't change their minds, found themselves descended upon by Nouri's forces who violently ended the protest.  Before that, Al Mada reports, they were chanting that terrorism and Nouri are two sides of the same coin.  Kitabat also reports that demonstrations also took place in Tikrit, Samarra, Ramdia and just outside Falluja with persons from various tribes choosing to block the road connecting Anbar Province (Falluja is the capitol of Anbar) with Baghdad.  Across Iraq, there were calls for Nouri to release the bodyguards of Minister of Finance Rafie al-Issawi.  Alsumaria notes demonstrators in Samarra accused Nouri of attempting to start a sectarian war.



Alsumaria notes that along with the arrests of al-Issawi's staff, the protests are fueled by the cry for the release of innocent detainees and prisoners and the treatment of women in prisons and detetion centers plus those who have tortured and raped women have not been punished.   All Iraq News notes Iraqiya MP Shaalan Karim called out the treatment of women in prisons and detention centers yesterday and that he decried the lack of accountability for the crimes and the refusal to punish security forces who have raped.

The weeks of protest have not resulted in good press for Nouri.  The National notes Shamlan Al Essa's Al Ittiahd column which includes, "Iraqi analysts say stability and harmony are highly unlikely in Iraq, and so is economic welfare. Some opine that the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Al Maliki, will not succeed in introducing reform, facing corruption and establishing the rule of law, amid an environment fraught with mistrust and bickering."  Abdullah Al Shayji (Gulf News) states, "Iraq has descended by the end of 2012 and early 2013 into a dysfunctional, sectarian, divided society with a real fear of civil war rearing its ugly head again. "   The editorial board of Gulf News weighs in with:

The current government has been unable to bring about much-needed stability in Iraq. In addition, it has failed dramatically in bringing all the various groups together, thereby creating a national unity platform that envisions a stable future for the country.

The voices of protests against the Al Maliki government have been steadily getting louder as was witnessed recently and many parties have come together to highlight their dismay at the manner in which the country's affairs are being run.

More negative assessments are easy to find.  The Middle East North Africa Financial Network notes:


Al-Maliki's main concern is only to stay in power, but he faces several obstacles, primarily that this is his second and last term as prime minister. Although he has sought to amend the constitution to allow himself a third term, he has not yet succeeded. Al-Maliki may not complete his current term and thus now seeks alternative measures such as the dissolution of Parliament before it votes against him, and holding early elections.
Recent protests may mark the beginning of the first battle. Al-Maliki, who failed to collect enough votes in the elections, was appointed through a coalition and was given votes by the Shiite and Sunni Kurd parties.
However, this coalition's alliance equation has changed. As such, now he is open to an alliance with his opponents, whether it is the Shiite Sadrists or Sunni Arabs that are grouping against him through demonstrations and statements that surfaced in the last few days following the pursuit of another Sunni leader, Finance Minister Rafa Al-Essawi. Al-Maliki removed almost all the Sunni leaders and got involved in a confrontation with the Kurds in northern Iraq for reasons that seem to be linked to Iran's desire to make way for Syria to save the beleaguered Assad regime.
Al-Maliki marginalized Shiite leaders such as Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, who had more right to the premiership, and sensible politicians such as Adel Abdul Mahdi. He is getting closer to Iran, and willing to do anything it demands to stay in power.


Dar Addustour notes that Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi is meeting with the heads of various blocks -- including the Kurds, Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc, Iraqiya, the Yazidis -- to discuss calling Nouri before Parliament for questioning.  Among the topics supposedly being discussed are a vote to withdraw confidence in Nouri.  Sunday, Prashant Rao (AFP) reported on the continued call for early elections (parlimentary, not the provincial ones that are set for April).   Nouri's used that as a threat throughout 2012.  When Ayad Allawi called him on it last week, Nouri was caught off balance.  All Iraq News notes that State of Law is now saying that dissolving the government is something they will resort to only after exhuasting all other options.
Nouri's apparently not the only one with hesitation.  Wael Grace and Ayad al-Tamimi (Al Mada) report that dissolving the Parliament will increase Nouri's power.  Al Sharquiya reports that Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi is stating if Parliament were to be dissolved, this would destroy Iraq because it is the only body that represents the people.

Turning to the topic of violence, Iraq Body Count counts 70 people killed in Iraq since the start of the month.   Alsumaria reports that a Mosul bombing today left two members of the military injured.  All Iraq News adds that 1 Christian woman was discovered in her Mosul apartment stabbed to death and an armed attack in Mosul left 2 police officers dead and three more injured.

For the record, I'm not a 'progressive.'  I'm a liberal and I'm a feminist.

GetEQUAL issued the following Friday:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 4, 2013

Media Contact: Heather Cronk, heather@getequal.org, (202) 505-5217

LGBT Civil Rights Organization Calls on President Obama to Abandon Hagel as Nominee for Secretary of Defense

WASHINGTON, DC — Below is a statement from GetEQUAL — a national civil rights organization working for the full federal equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans — about the possible nomination of Chuck Hagel to the position of Secretary of Defense. The statement should be attributed to Tanya Domi, chair of GetEQUAL's board and a former Army officer who served honorably for 15 years:

GetEQUAL strongly opposes the potential nomination of Chuck Hagel to become the next Secretary of Defense. Hagel has, time and time again, taken every opportunity to lambast and denigrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans, and the Cabinet is no place for this kind of disrespect.

Hagel's recent apology for his insulting comments about the nomination of James Hormel as U.S. Ambassador to Luxemborg was hollow, politically expedient, and nakedly gratuitous. The Defense Department has made important strides toward creating an inclusive Armed Forces, but has miles left to go — nominating Hagel to lead the Defense Department would be a staggering step backward for the LGBT community and an upheaval of President Obama's past support for the LGBT community.

During his years in Congress, Hagel consistently opposed the advancement of civil rights for LGBT Americans. A Hagel nomination would throw President Obama's support for LGBT civil rights into deep suspicion. Following yesterday's signing of an NDAA that includes a new "conscience clause" designed to permit discrimination in the military by chaplains, the LGBT community is looking for leadership at the Defense Department that will remove discriminatory practices from the Armed Forces -- not cement those practices.

GetEQUAL strongly recommends that President Obama nominate a new leader at the Pentagon who will fully and fairly implement the Military Readiness Enhancement Act and who will provide leadership to create anti-discrimination policies that will extend respect and dignity for LGBT service members and their families, extend benefits to same-sex partners of service members, and provide a pathway for transgender service members to finally serve their country openly and honestly.

iraq

david corn

time magazine
mark thompson

 alsumaria

all iraq news

al mada

middle east north africa finanical network

dar addustour

free speech radio news

afp
prashant rao
cnn