remember the ladies? forgotten at the democracy now round-table

'remember the ladies,' abigail adams instructed john adams on march 31, 1776.

we were 'ladies' then. that may be all that's changed.

why do i say that? democracy now decided to analyze the vote today. some guests did or tried and some just gas bagged.

but where were the 'ladies'? there were 2 guests (out of 4) who were women. they weren't allowed to speak as much as the men but then they didn't attempt to pass gas baggery off as analysis ('rock star!' obama was fawning, was spin, it wasn't analysis) so that may have hurt their chances to get a word in.

for those who missed it, 'Gender Gap Key in Democratic Victories' (feminist wire daily):

The exit polls were largely not broken up by House district, but overall, women voted five percentage points more (56 percent) for Democrats than men (51 percent). According to past gender gap analysis and overall Senate and House exit polls, women played an integral role in the House going Democratic -- especially in close races.

so what does it take for a discussion on the vote to include the topic of the voting patterns of women?

for those who missed it, there are more women in the united states than men. so how is that you can discuss the vote and not discuss women?

i'm used to it from the mainstream media. but how does that happen on independent media?

the four guests were there to speak on the topic of the latino vote (strongest guest), the african-american vote (biggest gas bas bag), the religious vote (an advocate attempting to push an agenda) and the youth vote (so little time allowed to speak she barely registered).

lydia camarillo was the most informed. she was also the only 1 to offer a qualifer (reminding that the latino vote did not go to bully boy in the numbers the media originally reported following the 2004 election and that msnbc had to issue a correction - something slimey simon rosenberg never did). she gave concerte examples and texas community members who wrote about the election for the gina & krista round-robin should be especially pleased because she noted not only delay's loss but the pick up of state seats (state legislature) and the fact that dallas (dallas- fort worth area) voted strongly democratic despite the conventional wisdom that it is a republican stronghold.

kathleen barr had some points to make and i would have enjoyed hearing those points; however, she wasn't given the time. i'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that if she had been given time to speak, she would have made strong points because she seemed to have something more to offer than gas baggery.

gas baggery? both men pushed the lie of the 'red' states. all this time later and we're still hearing that crap? and not on the mainstream, from our independent media. why? because it's easy, it's like being tim russert crowing 'florida! florida! florida!' ('supreme court! supreme court! supreme court! would have been just as gas baggery but it would have been closer to the truth.)

if that's what you have to offer, give up your mike. seriously, let people who have something to say speak instead because no 1 needs your boring jaw boning that they could hear on a chat & chew.

i share c.i.'s disdain for gas bags. we're supposed to be thrilled because the 'message' sounds good. if it's not truth, it's meaningless. and gas bags telling you what the election 'means' help no 1. the 2 men made claims that they have no support for. tom perriello wanted to share why 'vangical voters voted the way they did this time compared to 2004. that's interesting conjecture but there's no data backing up his statements.

there are numbers.

you can say X number of this or that category self-disclosed they voted this way. you can't sit there to and start hauling in the 'lessons of katrina' which both attempted to do.

you can offer that corruption might include what happened in after katrina - might. but to string together your own opinion and call it 'fact' with no basis in data is gas bagging.

the biggest gas bag was kirk clay. clay pushed the 'red' state lie like no one else. it was his pacifier and he needed it repeatedly. what he didn't need was facts. he did the check points on harold ford jr. the 'victim' of racism. (see the third estate sunday review this sunday where something should lay that myth to rest for good.) he was fond of junior. is he fond of privatizing social security? that was one of junior's pet projects that he advocated for through 2005. when the black commentator called him out he argued for a correction and they didn't budge because they were right. click here to read that.

but there was clay bragging on junior - who lost. junior's for the war and it the war mattered to those who voted, as exit polls and polling prior to the election seem to indicate, it's no real surprise that junior lost. but clay wasn't interested in addressing that. he was interested in 'rock star' (his phrase) barak obama. so interested that he offered that most people couldn't even pronounce barak obama's name?

what people?

it doesn't matter, he just tossed stuff out there. over and over. hogging all the time. if you doubt me, you can listen, watch or read the transcript. if you're pressed for time, just scan the transcript and you'll readily grasp that not only were women not 1 of the topics of discussion, female guests were sidelined during the discussion. according to the transcript, before any other guest got to speak, he'd gone on for over 40 transcripted lines.

we do roundtables at the third estate sunday review. i'll give clay the benefit of the doubt that he was passionate about the issue (he came off as passionate) but if i'd gone on like that in a roundtable, i'd be quite aware of it and shut up so some 1 else could speak. i won't blame amy goodman or juan gonzalez for not realizing that female guests were sidelined because i know dona really has to focus during the roundtables to try to determine who has had a chance to speak at length and who hasn't. she does a pretty good job of that but it's also true that some 1 like c.i. speaks very quickly during that to make room for other people to speak. so dona's trying to factor that in and other things. for roundtables, it usually involves a lot of people.

that's a lot to juggle and i think dona tries very hard. she also attempts to factor in the passion involved in what is said. though i'll give them the benefit of the doubt (goodman and gonzalez) on the how, the fact remains that women were sidelined. it should never happen again.

but how forgiving should i be? i'm counting 126 lines for kirk clay in the transcript. 87 for tom perriello. 45 for kathleen barr. and 50 for lydia camarillo. do you see the problem?

the men spoke more than the women. it's also true that kirk clay was allowed to open with a lengthy gas bag and then gets called on by both amy goodman and juan gonzalez to speak again.

they also call on tom perriello to come back into the conversation after he's spoken at length. if perriello wasn't brought back into the conversation, he'd have about what the 2 women got. but he was brought back in, both men were specifically brought back in by the hosts. kirk clay got to speak almost 3 times as much as kathellen bar and over twice as much as lydia camarillo. is this an issue of teachers/hosts only calling on male students?

amy goodman is the 1 who goes from the 2 women finally being able to speak to turning it, as she puts it 'back to kirk clay.'

KIRK CLAY: Well, you know, oddly enough, for African Americans, this is sad to say, but, you know, we’ve seen these kinds of politics, especially in a red state like Virginia. I mean, you know, we do need to look at this. I mean, we're talking about the South. We're talking about a state that at one point refused to open their public schools, you know, because integration was being enforced. So, we sort of -- I mean, that wasn't -- it was an issue, because we understood it, but a lot of people in our community had known a lot of these things a long time ago. You know, when he was first running for office, we knew that this guy, you know, had a noose in his office at one point and that this guy used to walk around with the Confederate flag pin. So, some of these issues, we had already known.
But even more importantly, you know, the bigger story now, is people like Barack Obama -- think about this. I mean, you know, here’s an African American guy. You know, most people can barely say his name, and, you know, he was a rock star. I mean, he traveled to both red states and blue states. I mean, he campaigned hard in Virginia. He campaigned hard in Maryland. I mean, you know, he did a tremendous job. You know, even Harold Ford, I mean, and some of the things that happened to him, which is so disappointing for us. You know, we have to do better in places like Tennessee. I mean, campaigning like that and airing ads like that, very nasty partisan ads like that, you know, that’s just not the way to go. But that is the positive things.

disappoint for us? is he speaking for common cause (which is non-partisan though many viewers may not have grasped that by clay's statements)? if he's speaking for african-americans he might need to check out the third estate sunday review this weekend, especially since the pin upset him. (i'm not dismissing the pin - i think it's hateful and racist - but a pin is 'small.' other things aren't. if you're lost, wait for the third estate on sunday, it will be clear then.)

so how did it happen? does it bother any 1 that it happened? that women were 1/2 the roundtable but that wasn't reflected in their statements? if you don't get how bad it was, add both women together and you get 95, add both men together and you get 213. women didn't even get to speak exactly 1/2 as much as men. why did they even bother to invite the women on if they weren't going to give them a chance to speak equally? i have no idea.

i'm far less forgiving of the fact that women's votes weren't among the topics discussed. i'm even less forgiving of the fact that democracy now failed to note, even in the headlines, this morning that ehren watada has been charged. c.i. noted it yesterday in "And the war drags on . . ." and, in that, noted that The KPFA Evening News had covered it. so the news crew at kpfa knows about it thursday evening but on friday morning, democracy now still hasn't heard about it?

i don't buy it. i also don't buy the 'ken melhman steps down due to election results' spin. on larry king live, bill maher outed melhman. this week. john has the story at americablog.

on watada, let's note that not only did democracy now not mention it, buzzflash has no link to any story about him now facing a court-martial. nor does the progressive though they have added some more 'insight' from 1 of their 2 worst writers. here's the 'summary' of his 'in depth' piece:

Not only does the Nobel Prize-winner and economic heretic have wonderful ideas, he is also a great guy.

omg. when c.i. insisted on teen beat and tiger beat refs in 'Death of the Press' we all wondered. there have been funnier comparisons (often made by c.i.) but c.i. was adament on sunday that teen beat and tiger beat be noted. i'm wondering if c.i. knew this story was in the works then because it perfectly captures the 'beat' mood. 'a great guy' - all that's missing is the exclamation point - and the glossy cover the headline blares from. maybe he can do that deep puppy-dog look ralph machio used to back in the days of 8 is enough?

i look forward to next hearing that the new u.n. head is 'sexy' with accompanying bare chested photo.

over at the nation, katrina vanden heuvel has posted today. at 2;41 a.m. another 'sweet victories' column that sends readers fleeing (and always reminds me of the scene in winona's little women when the call of 'marmie's home!' sends the gals fleeing.) leave the motivational crap to tony robbins, okay?

and it's really disgusting that the non 'sweet victory' of the military announcing they would court-martial ehren watada was known and reported on hours before kvh decided to go misty-eyed.

in 'honor' of 'sweet victories,' i think i'm creating a feature for my site called 'silly turds.' from now on, any day where news of war resisters is covered by the mainstream and independent media refuses to note it, i'll do a post entitled 'sweet turds' and let you know what they felt was more important to waste time on.

oh god, i'm laughing so hard. there's nothing at the nation on ehren watada - not even their 'news feed' where they just link to ap and others. that's disgusting.

but what's hilarious is the title of eric alterpunk's latest juvenile whine. i think i'll kick off silly turds with a review of his latest when the issue arrives. (if there's news of war resistance between now and then, i'll have to kick off the series then. if not, it will be kicked off with eric alterpunk. pointing at editorials with 1 finger while the other 4 point back at him. his writing truly is a waste of paper.)

they also still have the hearts & flowers to harry ford junior up - it's called 'the unstoppable harold ford' - well voters stopped him tuesday. maybe they didn't hear?

while kvh (whom i do like but not the nonsense of 'sweet victories') is grasping for the silver lining, joshua frank sets you straight at counterpunch in 'Bye-Bye Coke, Hello Pepsi:'


That means of the 29 new Democratic Representatives, 13 are staunchly pro-war. Of the rest, only a handful hold moderately decent positions on US foreign policy, yet the small group will continue to remain a minority within their party. Not surprisingly, none feel our relationship with Israel should be altered. Clearly, that is the direction the Democratic leadership in Washington is looking for in its candidates.
The Blue Dog caucus will no longer have minority status in the House, and will bump their numbers to at least 45 next year. If Christine Jennings wins her recount in Florida that total could reach 46. To put this in perspective, the Blue Dogs are on their way to being on par with DLC's strength in the House and could outnumber the Black Caucus. The Blue Dogs will soon make up at least 20% of the Democrats in the House of Representatives.
The future looks bleak for progressives in the Senate as well. Of the 6 new Democrats who won Senate races, none plan on challenging the Bush administration's war on terror. Aside from Jon Tester of Montana who supports Murtha's call for redeployment, virtually every new Democratic Senator-Elect opposes a timetable for troop withdrawal and believes the Bush administration, not the Democrats, should come up with an alternative course for Iraq.
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island was quoted in October 2005 by the Brown Daily Herald as saying, "[by] disclosing an exit strategy ... US leaders would be compromising troops' safety." Senator-Elect Jim Webb of Virginia, who served as Secretary of the Navy under Reagan, "opposes a timetable for withdrawal." Democrat Bob Casey, who knocked off Sen. Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, does not support a timetable to get troops out of Iraq. And while Sherrod Brown of Ohio supports a timetable for Iraq, he believes Bush should put more pressure on Iran, noting that while we've been occupying Baghdad, Iran has "gained ground in their effort to posses weapons of mass destruction." And if you think Vermont's big Bernie Sanders has what it takes, don't forget he supported the bombing of Serbia.
Every new Democratic Senator-Elect also supported Israel's invasion of Lebanon.

why do i hate 'sweet victories' so much? it's just nonsense. it's like me logging on to post after i've been mugged, 'the good news is i made it back safely on the ferry, the ride was wonderful, the sky looked beautiful.' it truly is grasping for the silver lining.

it's that whole matt lauer approach to 'news' of 'it's not often that we have good news to tell you' breathless sort of 'news.' don't worry if it's good or bad, sweet or bitter, just tell me the reality.
if i'm in need of 'sweet inspiration,' i'll put on barbra streisand's greatest hits: volume 2. art can do that. it can inspire and motivate. news-based commentary needs to focus on reality. you get more reality in 1 paragraph of joshua frank than you do in 'sweet victories.' i think the whole notion of 'sweet victories' turns readers into infants (or attempts to) with the assumption that nation readers need some candy to stomach reality. the movement is not in need of a lefty mary poppins so save the spoonful of sugar and just pass out the medicine.

i just remembered common dreams. checking to see if they have a link to the news on watada?
not no, but hell no.

delusions lead to 'sweet victories' and they also lead to a lack of coverage of the topics that actually matter.

i bet c.i. that the snapshot could not be done in 1 hour. i just got the call that it's starting. let's see how long it takes.

1 hour? try 2 and 1/2! (c.i. said 'i made 78 calls, give me a break.') c.i. wanted to link in what i'd written so i threw this up with out the snapshot. now i'm adding it.

here's c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Friday, November 10th. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, the US military announces they will court-martial Lt. Ehren Watada, the US military also announces the death of five more US troops in Iraq, John Howard makes Australians and the rest of the world glad that there's only one of him, and David Swanson explains what really happened in DC.
Starting with news on US war resister Ehren Watada. In June, Watada went public with his refusal to deploy to Iraq because the war is illegal and deploying would subject both himself and those serving under him to war crimes. In standing up, Watada became the first US commissioned officer to publicly refuse to serve in the illegal war. On August 17th, Article 32 hearing was held. [For details on Ann Wright's testimony, click here, Dennis Halliday click here, and here for Francis A. Boyle.] Following the hearing on the 17th, the US military announced August 24th that the presiding officer of the hearing, Lt. Colonel Mark Keith, had made a recommendation, court-martial. Yesterday, The KPFA Evening News reported that the US military had decided to court-martial Watada. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that "Lt. Gen. James Dubik, agreed with the recommended charges of missing a military movement and conduct unbecoming an officer." Gregg Kakesako (Honolulu Star-Bulletin) reports that conviction during the court-martial ("held next year") could result in "six years in jail and a dishonorable discharge." Honolulu's KITV spoke with Eric Seitz, attorney for Watada, who stated, "Unfortunately the army does want to make a martyr out of him. They have told us they will not enter into any agreement that doesn't include at least a year of incarceration, and that's just simply something we are unable to agree to." Rod Ohira (Honolulu Advertiser) notes the following statements by Watada after learning of the recommendation to court-martial him:"I feel the referral of the charges was not unexpected and at this time, I'm moving forward as I always have with resilience and fortitude to face the challenges ahead. . . . I think as the recent elections show more and more Americans are opening their eyes, but we aren't there yet. It is my hope that actions such as my own continue to call for the truth behind the fundamental illegality and immorality of those who perpetrated this war."
Coverage of war resisters in the US independent media has been embarrassing and shameful. Rebecca checks in on several independent outlets only to find that none have anything on Watada this morning. He appears to getting the full-Brobeck from independent media. (CBS notes Watada here.) War resister Ivan Brobeck returned to the US from Canada to turn himself in Tuesday and he didn't even make the indy headlines. (Nora Barrows Friedman did interview him on Monday's Flashpoints.) It's not cutting it. Not for Brobeck, not for Kyle Snyder who's also been ignored after returning to the US and, on October 31st, turning himself in at Fort Knox only to self-check out again after discovering the military had lied yet again. Not for Joshua Key who learned that the Canadian government was denying him refugee status.
A list of war resisters within the military would include Watada, Key, Snyder, and Brobeck. It would also include many other names such as Darrell Anderson, Ricky Clousing, Mark Wilkerson, Camilo Meija, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Jeremy Hinzman, Corey Glass, Patrick Hart, Clifford Cornell, Agustin Aguayo, Joshua Despain, Katherine Jashinski, and Kevin Benderman. That's just the ones who have gone public. (Over thirty US war resisters are currently in Canada attempting to be legally recognized.) It is a movement and should be covered as such. Ehren Watada's father and step-mother are currently on a speaking tour (tonight they're in NYC) and details on that will be at the end of the snapshot.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Appeal for Redress is collecting signatures of active duty service members calling on Congress to bring the troops home -- the petition will be delivered to Congress in January.
Grabbing headlines is Ali al-Shemari. The Iraqi Health minister announced a number for the death toll of Iraqis due to the illegal war. AP notes that he places the death toll at 150,000. The KPFA Evening News pointed out on Thursday that is he was actually basing his 'count' on the United Nations estimate of at least 100 Iraqis dying each day "that calculation would be closer to 130,000." CBS and AP note that he rejects the number of approximately 655,000 in the Lancet Study but thinks his own number is "OK." Sabrina Tavernise (New York Times) calls the number "an off-the-cuff estimate". Puppets can't go off-the-cuff or off-script which may be why AFP is reporting that the estimates being watered down (the Health Ministry is now saying between 100,000 and 150,000).
Meanwhile the US military has announced today "One Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died Thursday from wounds sustained due to enemy action while operating in Al Anbar Province" and also "Two 89th Military Police Brigade Soldiers were killed and one Soldier was wounded Thursday after their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device at 12:48 p.m. Thursday in west Baghdad." Later in the day would come more announcements. This: "One Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died today from non-hostile causes while operating in Al Anbar Province," and this: "One Soldier assigned to the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) was killed and another wounded Nov. 10 during a combat logistics patrol when their truck was hit by an improvised explosive device west of Hadithah" for a total of five deaths announced today. ICCC currently lists 24 as the number of US troop deaths in Iraq for the month, thus far (2842 since the start of the illegal war). As the numbers continue to climb, Michael Luo and Michael Wilson (New York Times) report that funerals have become so common for the First Battalion, 22nd Infantry in Iraq that planning time for services have been cut from 45 minutes to five minutes.
While the numbers (on all sides) continue to mount, AP notes Donald Rumsfled stated (yesterday), "I will say this -- it is very clear that the major combat operations were an enormous success." Oh White Queen, get someone to help you a-dress quickly. Forgetting the illegal nature of the war for a moment, that's a bit like a drunk driver who plows into a car and kills an entire family stating, "I will say this -- I pulled away from the curb nicely."
In some of the reported violence today . . .
Bombings?
AFP reports: "In violence on the ground, a powerful blast killed an Iraqi army colonel and his five bodyguards in the northern town of Tall Afar. Reuters notes it was a car bombing and that 17 people were wounded while, in Kirkuk, a roadside bombing injured two Iraqi soldiers.

Shootings?

Reuters notes that, in Yusufiya, 14 people were kidnapped (by "gunmen") and then found dead and a man was shot dead in Diwaniya. Christopher Bodeen (AP) reports that three family members were shot dead in Baghdad (home invasion).

Corpses?

Reuters reports, "Police fished the body of a woman, bearing signs of torture and bullet wounds, from the Tigris river in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said." In addition, Christopher Bodeen (AP) informs that 33 corpses were discovered "in Baghdad and several nearby cities."

In Australia, War Hawk and prime minister John Howard's laughable comments yesterday have resulted in more punch lines. Gillian Bradford observered to Eleanor Hall (ABC's PM) that "Whatever the opinion polls here may say here about Australians' desire to get out of Iraq, the Prime Minister isn't swayed" and he intended to ring Tony Blair up just as soon as he (Howard) finished his cricket match. Give 'em Flair, Howie. AAP reports that: "Prime Minister John Howard should tell George W Bush that he's pulling Australian troops out of Iraq when the two leaders meet next week, Opposition Leader Kim Beazley says. Mr Howard will have lunch with the US president during next week's APEC meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam - their first meeting since Mr Bush's Republican party was thumped in US mid-term elections." Bully Boy gets to Vietnam a lot more today than when he 'served,' doesn't he? Meanwhile Xinhau reports: "Howard said he will commiserate with Bush in person at the APEC meeting in the second half of next week.Howard said he had always accepted that the majority of the Australian public had been against the military commitment to Iraq." Howard 'accepts' the majority opinion, he just doesn't 'respect' it.
In peace news, yesterday's snapshot noted Cindy Sheehan was arrested outside the White House while attempting to deliver a petition (with over 80,000 signatures) calling for the US troops to be brought home. Not quite. David Swanson (Let's Try Democracy) reports she was arrested outside the White House long after the petition: "Late Wednesday afternoon Cindy decided to lead a sit-in right in front of the White House, and then -- finally -- the Park Service arrested her. The Associated Press changed the lede to its article to read as follows: 'Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50 protesters to a White House gate to deliver anti-war petitions.' Not quite accurate. The petitions had been delivered several hours before the arrest. But what the heck, it probably got more editors to pick up the story. Thanks, again, Cindy!" Swasnon outlines the events as being stalled at the gates of the White House when attempting to deliver the petition leading activists to place pages in the fence and to send pages over the fence. Hours later, Cindy Sheehan staged the sit-down.
In other news of activists who refuse to hit the snooze button, Wendell Harper reported on yesterday's The KPFA Evening News and today on KPFA's The Morning Show that Medea Benjamin was among those activists participating in a rally outside the soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco office calling for troops home now.
Finally, Ehren Watada's father, Bob Watada, and his step-mother, Rosa Sakanishi, continue their speaking tour to raise awareness on Ehren -- the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Due to increased interest there have been some date changes and a full schedule can be found here. Upcoming dates include:

Nov 10, Early PM, New York City, NY., Press ConferenceLocation: UN, 777 United Nations Plaza, First Avenue and E. 44th Street Sponsors: Veterans For Peace Chapters 138 & 34Contact: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.netGeorge McAnanama, gmacan@aol.com

Nov 10, 7:30PM, New York City, NY.Location: St. Paul/St. Andrews Methodist Church -- West End Avenue and West 86th Streets, Sponsors: Veterans For Peace Chapters 138 & 34Contacts: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.net

Nov 11, 10AM-2:30PM, New York City, NY.,Veterans Day ParadeSponsor: Veterans For Peace Chapters 34 & 138, IVAW, MFSO Contacts: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.netGeorge McAnanama, gmacan@aol.com

Nov 11, 3-5 PM, Flushing, NY.,Location: Macedonia AME Church (718) 353-587037-22 Union St. Sponsors: "United for Lt. Watada"Contact: Gloria Lum 646-824-2710, lumgloria@yahoo.com

Nov 11, 7 PM, New York City, NY., Manhattan,Location: Columbia University, Broadway and W 116 St., Bldg- Mathematics Rm 312 Sponsors: Asian American Alliance, "United for Lt. Watada",Veterans For Peace Chapters 138 & 34Contact: Gloria Lum 646-824-2710

Nov 12, 11AM-1PM, Providence, RI., Location: Brown University, The John Nicholas Brown Center, 357 Benefit Street at Williams Sponsor: Veterans For Peace NationalContact: Naoko Shibusawa, 401-286-1908, Naoko_Shibusawa@brown.edu

Nov 12, 7PM, Rockland County, NY., Location: TBA Sponsor: Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice, Veterans For Peace National and Veterans For Peace Chapter /Rockland County Contact: Nancy Tsou, LYTHRN@aol.comBarbara Greenhut

Nov 13 , TBA, Ann Arbor, MI, "The Ground Truth" and Bob Watada,Location: University of Michigan, Angel Hall, Auditorium B, Sponsors: Michigan Peace Works http://michiganpeaceworks.org,Contact: Phillis Engelbert, work - 734-761-5922, home - 734-662-0818, cell- 734-660-489, philliseng@yahoo.com

Nov 14, TBA St. Louis, Mo. Location: Friends Meeting House, 1001 Park Avenue Sponsors: Veterans for Peace Chapter 161, 314-754-2651 Contact: Chuc Smith, 314-721-1814

vfpch61@riseup.netiraqkyle snyderivan brobeckflashpointsnora barrows friedmanjoshua keycindy sheehanehren watadabob watadakpfathe morning showmedea benjamincodepinkthe kpfa evening newswendell harperthe new york timesmichael luomichael wilsonsabrina tavernisesex and politics and screeds and attitude

beta, danny schechter, danny schechter, in debt we trust

so what are the benefits to switching to beta?

that's a question i've got in some of the e-mails?

1) publishing is quicker.

here's a really easy description of how it works. i log in, i hit 'create' and then i start typing my post (and adding links) in a window. when i'm done, i click on publish. a few seconds later, i hit 'index' and that takes a few seconds. then i hit 'publish' and if it works, it's done in about 5 minutes. (that's where you get to see the post i wrote.) sometimes on 'publish' the thing gets stuck. or gets to 90% published and resets at zero (in which case it run for an hour.)

that's the old thing.

in beta, i just hit 'publish' and i'm done. that's it. that's all.

2) i can add 'labels.'

i'm not sure what good they are, but i can add them.

otherwise, i'm not seeing much here that's different.

but (1) is important if you've got a bigger site. the third estate sunday review gets stuck in the 'publish' cycle all the time and ends up way behind schedule. and the common ills has so many posts that c.i. has to allow 30 minutes minimum for the 'post' stage. so this should make things move quicker for both of them.

there may be more and i haven't discovered it yet. this is still my 1st day using beta. and thanks to c.i. who ended up putting the 2nd post up before it was done to help me. i called and said, 'i have no idea what's going on.' i couldn't figure out why it didn't let me log on and other things this morning. so c.i. posted 'Other Items' and noted that more would be 'added later' to get something up and then focus on helping me out.

with the 2 of us, we got the 1st beta post up.

oh, another thing it does well is that it puts things in italics if they're in it when you copy and paste them into your entry.

c.i.'s not switched yet. c.i. tried but got the message that 'your site is too large.' trina did switch, mike did and the third estate sunday review did today. c.i. and i this morning were thinking that third really needed to switch right away to avoid anymore problems (they have so many problems each weekend with trying to get the posts up. forget writing them, just posting them can be a pain in the butt due to all the problems.)

kpfa's Flashpoints had another multi-topic show tonight. they've had a really strong week but i'm wondering where dennis is? due to the iraq study group, i'm not able to listen on friday. i'm sure he's on a vacation and it was announced then but i missed it. dennis bernstein and nora barrows friedman are both strong and either can handle the show solo when they need to spell 1 another. but i am wondering where dennis has been? (mainly because during fundraising, he was trying not to yell - i don't mind it when he yells, i think most people yell when they're excited and it's not like he's high pitched and you're clutching your ears. but he was talking then about how his doctor was basically ordering him not to yell. so i just hope all is cool and it's a fun absence as opposed to health reasons.)

they discussed the slaughter of 85 palestinians in 8 days (and the silence over that) and they also addressed what's going on in columbia. but let me mention the last guest, danny schechter. he was on discussing his new documentary. it's on the debt crisis in america and how it's only going to get worse, in debt we trust. i would assume from his posts as his site (news dissector) he shares my 'nice place to visit but not living there' attitude about california which is strange because i think he does better on kpfa interviews. i heard him on an east coast show awhile back and remembered thinking, 'i wish the host would let danny finish speaking.' it seemed like in the middle of every point, he was cut off and

'this is an issue every 1 is effected by' danny said about the debt issue and how every 1 has a 'topper' they want to discuss when the issue of debt is brought up. we're going to review in debt we trust at the third estate sunday review but we're waiting for every 1 to have a chance to see it. without getting into any thing that spoils that review, i will urge you to see this.

on the show tonight, danny called the u.s. system 'market-leninism' which made me laugh because that's an apt description for what we have (and a funny 1).

danny's not good about promoting his appearances at his site so if you missed it, remember that the shows are archived and you can listen for free either at Flashpoints or at kpfa. also, if you're out in the bay area this weekend, in debt we trust is playing at the roxie in san francisco - starts tomorrow (friday).

big congrats to trina who had a special e-mail today. you'll learn about that in c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'

Thursday, November 9, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, War Hawk down Donald Rumsfleld continues to collect professional obits but not many mourners, Cindy Sheehan continues to demonstrate more life and spirit than the media, Tom Hayden looks to what needs to be done now, and some data on the US elections is now known (even if not noted by gas bags).

Starting with War Hawk Down, Rumsfeld is Rumsfled and though the obits continue to pile up where are the mourners for his professional demise? Has even the U of Minnesota drop-out lost her gift for hagiography? Some say it's lonely at the top, Rumsfled discovers it's lonely at the bottom as well. Around the world, the feedback comes in. Mussab Al-Khairalla (Reuters) reports on the Iraqi consensus and the AP notes that a similar consensus around the world while John F. Burns and Michael Lou (New York Times) note Iraqi Sadoon al-Zubaidi response: "The Americans came to Iraq three and a half years ago to do something good for Iraqis, to free them from dictatorship. That has failed. The Americans helped, encouraged and planted civil disorder and sectarianism. Now, I would like to see all American troops taken out. I’d like to see all the reins of power placed in Iraqi hands."

Philippe Naughton (Times of London) notes that the next US Secretary of Defense will have "the clearest missions: get American troops out of Iraq as quickly and cleanly as possible."
Bully Boy has nominated Robert Gates for that position. Speaking with Nora Barrows Friedman yesterday on Flashpoints, Robert Parry noted Gates' involvement in Iran-Contra. Today on Democracy Now!, Parry also noted the involvement and the questions that had never been answered including, as Amy Goodman noted, his role in providing weapons to Saddam Hussein which he was just convicted for using. Online, Parry (Consortium News) delves into the world of Gates, his Bush family connections and concludes that "whether Gates can be counted on to do what's in the interest of the larger American public is another question altogether."

Another issue, especially considering the illegal warrantless spying by the administration, is whether former CIA director Gates is the one to be put in charge of the US Defense Department since, as many can remember, the illegal spying of an earlier period wasn't confined to the FBI and the CIA, it also included DoD spying?


In US elections news, control over both houses of Congress shifted to Democrats yesterday when two Senate races were called: Jon Tester won in Montanna and Jim Webb in Virginia. On the Webb race, as Feminist Wire Daily points out, there was "a ten-point gender gap" between those voting for Webb and those voting for George Allen (with women favoring Webb over Allen by ten-points). FWD also notes that "women voted five percentage points more (56 percent) for Democrats than men (51 percent). Kim Gandy (president of NOW) sums up the results: "Women voters cleaned House. We turned out on Tuesday to turn out the politicians who were tuning out our concerns. Women are fed up with the 'stay the course' strategy in Iraq, the so-called economic recovery that has left most of the country behind, and the relentless efforts to limit women's reproductive rights. The 'gender gap' is alive and well, and making a difference on election day." [Juan Gonzalez (Democracy Now!) noted that "young voters voted overwhelmingly Democratic."]


Noting the Democratic control, Tom Hayden (writing at Common Dreams) reminds that: "The Vietnam War continued for seven senseless years after the Paris peace talks began. While scaling back its original victory plans, the US still wants to station tens of thousands of troops in subdued, and perhaps partitioned, Iraq, and it wasnt the issue neutralized by the 2008 elections. The peace movement therefore needs to gear up for the 2008 elections by establishing anti-war coalitions that no candidate can avoid in the primary states."



Possibly having a panic attack over the concept of peace or just dismayed regarding the lack of breast-beating over Rumsfled's impending departure (and worried about his own ass), John Howard, prime Minister of Australia and professional War Hawk, rushes to weigh in. Though not known previously as a student of American politics, Gillian Bradford (Australia's ABC) reports that Howard is downplying the election results and claiming that it boils down to Bully Boy "running a Budget deficit" that led to Republicans staying home. When considering post-government careers, Howard would be wise to skip teaching. Translation, the deficit was not covered as an issue in the leadup and it was not named in polling.

Howard's attempt to spin the illegal war comes at a time when Carne Ross is criticizing Tony Blair's government's actions with regards to the illegal war. On Iraq, the BBC reports that the British diplomat told MPs that "our policy has been a rank disaster in the last few years in terms of blood shed. By that measure that invasion has been a much greater disaster even than Suez." Ross also informed the MPs that the current state was predicted and that during talks between the US government and the British government England's Foreign Office "would say, with emphasis, we do not believe regime change is a good idea in Iraq and the reason we do not believe that is that we think Iraq would break up and that would lead to chaos if you do that."



In Iraq the chaos and violence continues with CBS and AP noting: "October was a particularly bloody month for Iraqis, with more than 1,200 killed, and November so far looks to be just as bad. At least 66 Iraqis were killed on Wednesday, although that is likely much lower than the true figure since many deaths go unreported. Since this summer, the United Nations has bumped its daily death toll estimate to 100 per day."

Bombings?


Sabah Jerges (AFP) observes there were "at least seven explosions" in Baghdad, "the worst being a suicide car bomb that exploded near the Mishin shopping center in the southeast of the city that killed seven people and wounded 27" that appears to be part of a coordinated attack including a mortar round prior to the car bomb (also noted is the death of 10 in Baquba from violence though no details are offered), while in Amara a bomb took one life and left three wounded. CBS and AP note a bombing in Tal Afar that killed three people (including a police officer) and the death of two "when a mortar bomb landed on a car on Palestine street in eastern Baghdad". Reuters notes a roadside bomb in Baghdad that left four wounded; the wounding of two police officers in Baghdad as they attempted to disarm a bomb; a car bomb in Baghdad (Abu Ghraib district) that resulted in five people being killed; and two dead and four wounded in Tal Afar from a rocket attack.


Shootings?

Qais al-Bashir (AP) notes an attack on "a primary school" in Muqdadiyah that left "a policeman, a guard and a student" dead; while in Baghdad, two incidents (one a drive-by) claimed three lives; and, in Mosul, a wife and husband were shot dead (the husband was with the Iraqi military). Reuters notes that in addition to the couple, four more people were shot dead in Mosul.


Corpses?

Qais al-Bashir (AP) reports that eleven corpses were discovered in Baghdad. The count increased to 26, Reuters notes, and four corpses were found in Latifiya. AFP notes that


Meanwhile, Patrick Cockburn (CounterPunch) examines "the rise of the sniper" in the capital and concludes it "will incerase the already numerous ways that Iraqi civilians can die," that the US military often offers "no warning shots"

In peace news, as Sandra Lupien noted yesterday on The KPFA Evening News, Cindy Sheehan was arrested outside the White House when she and others attempted to deliver a petition with at least 80,000 signatures on it. The petition was calling for an end to the war.
Today Military Families Speak Out attempts to deliver their petition to the soon to be gone Rumsfled calling for an end to the back door draft and noting: "We believe that the best course of action is to bring all of our troops home now, and take care of them when they get here. Our loved ones signed up to protect and defend the Constitution of this nation. That is not what they are doing in Iraq."

Today, Trina received an e-mail from the family of a war resister which only underscored to Trina how "hideous" the lack of coverage on this issue is. Trina: "If you believe the war is wrong and needs to end, then you need to cover those who are saying 'NO!' loudly and clearly. The fact that most independent magazines -- even at their own websistes -- can't is beyond disappointing. People standing up need support and their stories need to be told."

US war resisters that should have been in the news in the last two weeks include Kyle Snyder, Joshua Key and Ivan Brobeck. Kyle Snyder returned to the US Tuesday October 31st to turn himself in at Fort Knox after self-checking out and going to Canada. The agreement between Synder's attorney and the military was trashed after the US military had Synder in custody. Snyder self-checked out again. Joshua Key was denied refugee status by the Canadian government this week. Ivan Brobeck returned to the US from Canada this week, on election day, and turned himself in. These stories have garnered very little interest by independent media. Brobeck's return has hardly been noted. (Hurt feelings over the fact that Nora Barrows Friedman got the exclusive interview with Brobeck?) The verdict in Key's case has been noted even less. It's not cutting it and independent media (print and audio) needs to stop kidding themselves that it is. It's shameful.


Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Appeal for Redress is collecting signatures of active duty service members calling on Congress to bring the troops home.


Ivan Brobeck, Kyle Snyder and Joshua Key are part of a movement of war resistance within the US military that also includes Darrell Anderson, Ricky Clousing, Mark Wilkerson, Ehren Watada, Camilo Meija, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Jeremy Hinzman, Corey Glass, Patrick Hart, Clifford Cornell, Agustin Aguayo, Joshua Despain, Katherine Jashinski, and Kevin Benderman. Their stories do matter. It's only the coverage that is lacking.


Which gets to a point Anthony Arnove made on yesterday's Flashpoints regarding the importance of knowing our history and how much energy is expanded to rob people of their history. History is all around -- it's just not getting the coverage. Arrnove and Alice Walker, both guests on yesterday's Flashpoints will be among those bringing history to life via a reading of Howard Zinn and Arnove's Voices of a People's History of the United States tonight (7:30 p.m.) at the Berkeley Community Theatre (1930 Allston Way) and along with Walker and Arnove, other participants will also include Mos Def, Steve Earle and Zinn himself.


Finally, Ehren Watada's father, Bob Watada, and his step-mother, Rosa Sakanishi, continue their speaking tour to raise awareness on Ehren -- the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Due to increased interest there have been some date changes and a full schedule can be found here. Upcoming dates include:


Nov 9, 11AM, Philadelphia, PA, Press Conference
Location: TBA Sponsors: Iraq Veterans Against the War, Delaware Valley Veterans for America, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Mothers
Contact: Bill Perry, 215-945-3350, BpVetforPeace@aol.com

Nov 9, 12:30PM, Philadelphia, PA., University Appearance
Location: Rutgers, Details TBA
Sponsors: Iraq Veterans Against the War, Delaware Valley Veterans for America, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Mothers
Contact: Bill Perry, 215-945-3350, BpVetforPeace@aol.com
Professor Elizabeth Hillman (RU Law School), Board of Governors Professor Roger S. Clark (Rutgers-Camden), and Bill Perry of Delaware Valley Veterans For America

Nov 9, 3:30PM, Philadelphia, PA., University Appearance,
Location: St. Joseph’s University, Bldg. & Room TBA
Sponsors: : Iraq Veterans Against the War, Delaware Valley Veterans for America, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Mothers
Bob Watada, Patrick Resta of IVAW, Bill Perry of Delaware Valley Veterans For America, and Professor Katherine Sibley (St. Joseph’s University)

Nov 9, 7PM, Philadelphia, PA., Location: University of Pennsylvania
Annenberg Center Room 109,
Sponsors: Iraq Veterans Against the War, Delaware Valley Veterans for America, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Mothers
Contact: Bill Perry, 215-945-3350, BpVetforPeace@aol.com
Bob Watada, Professor Carolyn Marvin (Annenberg School for Communications), Patrick Resta of IVAW, and Bill Perry of Delaware Valley Veterans For America

Nov 10, Early PM, New York City, NY., Press Conference
Location: UN, 777 United Nations Plaza, First Avenue and E. 44th Street
Sponsors: Veterans For Peace Chapters 138 & 34
Contact: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.net
George McAnanama, gmacan@aol.com

Nov 10, 7:30PM, New York City, NY.
Location: St. Paul/St. Andrews Methodist Church -- West End Avenue and West 86th Streets,
Sponsors: Veterans For Peace Chapters 138 & 34
Contacts: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.net

Nov 11, 10AM-2:30PM, New York City, NY.,Veterans Day Parade
Sponsor: Veterans For Peace Chapters 34 & 138, IVAW, MFSO
Contacts: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.net
George McAnanama, gmacan@aol.com

Nov 11, 3-5 PM, Flushing, NY.,
Location: Macedonia AME Church (718) 353-5870
37-22 Union St.
Sponsors: "United for Lt. Watada"
Contact: Gloria Lum 646-824-2710, lumgloria@yahoo.com

Nov 11, 7 PM, New York City, NY., Manhattan,
Location: Columbia University, Broadway and W 116 St., Bldg- Mathematics Rm 312
Sponsors: Asian American Alliance, "United for Lt. Watada",
Veterans For Peace Chapters 138 & 34
Contact: Gloria Lum 646-824-2710

Nov 12, 11AM-1PM, Providence, RI.,
Location: Brown University, The John Nicholas Brown Center,
357 Benefit Street at Williams
Sponsor: Veterans For Peace National
Contact: Naoko Shibusawa, 401-286-1908, Naoko_Shibusawa@brown.edu

Nov 12, 7PM, Rockland County, NY.
Location: TBA
Sponsor: Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice, Veterans For Peace National and Veterans For Peace Chapter /Rockland County
Contact: Nancy Tsou, LYTHRN@aol.com
Barbara Greenhut

Nov 13 , TBA, Ann Arbor, MI, “The Ground Truth” and Bob Watada
Location: University of Michigan, Angel Hall, Auditorium B
Sponsors: Michigan Peace Works http://michiganpeaceworks.org/,
Contact: Phillis Engelbert, work - 734-761-5922, home - 734-662-0818, cell- 734-660-489, philliseng@yahoo.com

Nov 14, TBA St. Louis, Mo. Location: Friends Meeting House1001 Park Avenue Sponsors: Veterans for Peace Chapter 161, 314-754-2651Contact: Chuc Smith, 314-721-1814, vfpch61@riseup.net

iraqkyle snyderamy goodman
juan gonzalezdemocracy nowivan brobeckflashpointsnora barrows friedman
robert parryjoshua key
cindy sheehanmilitary families speak out
ehren watadabob watada
tom haydentrinas kitchenthe new york timesjohn f. burnsmichael luo

wednesday post on thursday morning

i did blog last night, i just did it at kat's site. i'm copying the post here and it will explain the problem.


rebecca here. i made a huge mistake tonight. i logged in over 2 hours ago to my site and was offered the chance to switch my site to 'beta mode.' i figured, 'what the hell?'

blogger/blogspot will be switching all sites to beta mode in the next few weeks. i figured i'd be the test site for the community.

this is the message i got over 2 hours ago:

Switching to the new Blogger Your blogs are being moved to the new version of Blogger. For some blogs, this may take a little while, so we’ll email you at your Google Account email address, sexandpoliticsandscreeds@yahoo.com, when the process is done. Thanks for your patience.

the switch continues. over 2 hours later, the switch continues. 'take a little while'? to me that says 5 to 15 minutes. over 2 hours is not 'a little while.'but blogger/blogspot is a pain in the ass so why should tonight be any different?

if any 1 reading this has a site, my advice to you is this: when you switch to beta, do it when you can spare a block of time, not when you're about to blog.

i really assumed i could blog tonight. it's past 11:00 p.m. right now. if i hadn't come over here, i wouldn't be blogging at all. ruth got the same message to switch when she logged into kat's site tonight and she phoned me to ask what to do?

i told her, 'don't do it, ruth.'

i explained that i've been waiting and waiting.i keep checking my e-mail account to see if they've sent an e-mail?

nope.

knowing blogger/blogger, i assumed it might be done and they're just late with the e-mail. so i tried logging in. the switch is still going on.

i don't blog that often. i mean, i do 5 times a week and i do post illustrations for third. but it's not like i have over 3,000 posts the way c.i. does. i can't imagine how long it will take when c.i. switches the common ills to beta. in fact, i'll call c.i. and suggest it take place on a saturday morning after the morning entry or entries go up so that it can run (the switch) all day saturday.it may take that long. my blog's not even 2 years old. my entries aren't essays. just jottings.if it's taking over 2 hours to move my site, any 1 with blogger/blogspot that has more posts than i do should be prepared to give it several hours. and blogger/blogspot keeps going out as i'm typing, so i should wrap up.

dems have control in the senate. jim webb's race was the 1 every 1 was waiting on. what will they do with it?

doesn't seem like much to hear all the talk. you come in with an agenda of programs or you achieve nothing. as the days drift by, what you don't achieve becomes a liability. they've got some vague thing on immigration reform (which, the way it's worded, seems scary to any 1 who's not in agreement with bully boy on building an insane fence between the u.s. and mexico) and they'll chat with bully boy and they're going to address the minimum wage.the minimum wage needs to raised. it needed that for what, 10 years?these are visionary programs?

it's band aids.

i'm not impressed.

on flashpoints tonight, alice walker spoke elequently (no surprise) and i was thinking, 'okay, i'm going to be able to get into my site, remember what she's saying!'that was too long ago. i can't remember now. anthony arnove spoke of how history is hidden from us, elected officials don't bring about change and some other topics.

as c.i. noted earlier this week:

Zinn and Anthony Arnove's Voices of a People's History of the United States will be presented this Thursday at 7:30 pm, Berkeley Community Theatre (1930 Allston Way) and participants will include Alice Walker, Mos Def and others.

walker and arnove will be there reading. there will also be performances (including 1 of the song 'strange fruit').

feminist majority has a great set up for tracking the elections results so please check that out.

please check out c.i.'s 'iraq snapshot.' i'd love to copy and paste it but i don't think i can. there's not time and kat's site is acting up. joni mitchell has a new album coming out soon, she's addressing the state of the world. that, not the election results, gives me hope.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq with at least 60 reported dead today, Steven D. Green enters a plea, gas bags toss out the word "Iraq" and pretend they've somehow addressed anything, War Hawk Down! -- Rumsfled resigns, "a defector in the petty wars that shell shock love away" ("Hejira") prepares a new release, and the Mennonite church -- not independent media -- discusses conscientious objectors.

this morning, i'll put in 'iraq snapshot:'


Starting with news not coming out of Iraq, the current issue of Rolling Stone (Jon Stewart cover) notes that Joni Mitchell is recording another album of her own compositions. Uncut reports on the upcoming album and quotes Mitchell stating "when the world becomes a massive mess with noboday at the helm, it's time for artists to make their mark" and noting that the albums is an attempt to provide "courage through tough times." Mitchell's official website notes one song on the upcoming album entitled "Holy War" which includes these lyrics:

There's nothing on earth
As unholy as war,
The rich sacrifice the poor.
If I had a heart I'd cry.
In fairy tales the good go to heaven
And the evil go to hell,
Ring the funeral bell.
If I had a heart I'd cry.
Holy earth, religion has failed us,
It failed to make us kind,
It spoke of light but kept us blind.

The album will be Mitchell's first recording of her own compositions since 1998's Taming the Tiger. And if that doesn't seem important to you, remember that Mitchell's Dog Eat Dog, and not gas baggery, captured the Reagan de-Revolution. Between art and gas baggery, this community will always go with art. Also, it was Mitchell's birthday Tuesday.


The day prior to that, Steve Negus (Financial Times of London) reported that the White House had conveyed through Zalmay Khalilzad that yesterday's elections were meaningless -- conveyed to Iraqi puppet leaders. Bully Boy is currently attempting to push that notion right now. On screen, CNN offers a "knowable" -- War Hawk Donald Rumsfeld has resigned as US Secretary of the Defense. Bully Boy has evened out his streaks and his hair now looks much darker but look the other way as the media has for the last six years. Hair dye doesn't make for the 'manly' image the Bully Boy cultivates. (What's he saying? Who knows? I'm having lunch and there are too many people at other tables booing the Bully Boy to hear him and no link at CNN yet.)

For those looking for attempts to make sense of the election (something that really won't happen until all the votes are in and data crunched -- as opposed to skimmed) should refer to Amy Goodman's interview with Ralph Nader (Democracy Now!) and the Feminist Majority blog on the elections. [Feminist Wire addresses the failed abortion ban in South Dakota.] While the White House's message may have been lost on the puppet leaders, Nancy A. Yousseff (McClatchey Newspapers) reports that "Iraqis outside the world of politics saw no change, regardless of the results" as Matthew Schofield (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that the reaction was far different for Europeans who are now "a bit more comfortable with their partners across the Atlantic after five years of unease with Americans under the Bush administration." What is known is that the Democratic Party now holds the most seats in the US House of Representatives and may control the Senate provided the candidates in Montana and Virginia (Jon Tester, Jim Webb) hold their leads.

In Iraq today, Zalmay Khalilzad rushed to spin telling a reception in the heavily fortified Green Zone (reception made up of reporters, the puppet government, "American colleagues from the embassy," etc) that "Americans understand that Iraq is import. They understand that this region is important" blah, blah, blah. When even Zalmay-Take-Me-Away grew tired of his own voice, he signed off with "Thank you again for coming and my God bless the people of Iraq" which may not be the best way for American officials, supposedly wanting a secetarian government in Iraq, to conclude their 'official' messages. Reality absent in the rumored to be departing soon Zalmay's pontificating can be found in Missy Comley Beattie's latest (CounterPunch): "This historic smackdown of an arrogant president and his administration will not bring back my nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Chase Comley, his fellow servicemen and women who have died during the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, other dead coalition troops, and so many Iraqis. . . . Nothing can reverse the effects of madmen. The hearts of our dead cannot restart. Limbs can't be restored. Devastating brain damage won't heal."



Absent from the gas baggery by conventional-wisdom loveing pundits and the spin of the White House flacks is the reality on Iraq. Kirk Semple (New York Times) reports that "at least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded in Baghdad and in Diyala province" on Tuesday. Chaos and violence continues today in Iraq.


Bombings?

AFP reports that a car bombing in Mahmudiyah has resulted in six dead and twenty-six wounded. Kirk Semple (New York Times) reported on a Tuesday bombing in Baghdad that left 17 dead and 20 wounded. IOL reports that four more have died today from Tuesday's coffee shop bombing bring the total number who have died to 21. CBS and AP note that: "A pair of mortar rounds slammed into a soccer field while young men were playing a game in a Shiite district of Baghdad, killing at least eight people." AFX notes 15 people were also wounded in thos mortar attacks. AFP notes a bombing in Iskandriyah that killed two (a father "and his 13-year-old son) and a mortar attack, in Baghdad, "near the health ministry" that killed three and left five wounded. Reuters notes a car bomb in Baghdad that killed three and wounded three more, a car bombing that killed one person, and a car bombing in Ramadi that killed five people.

Shootings?

The BBC notes that four people were shot dead in Baquba. AFP notes five were shot dead "in the village of Dhida near Muqdadiyah," two police officers were shot dead in Tikrit. Reuters notes that that a police officer was shot dead in Samawa.

Corpses?

IOL notes that three corpses were discovered in Baghdad. Reuters notes that six corpses were discovered in Mosul.

In addition, the US military today announced: "One Marine assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division died Wednesday from wounds sustained due to enemy action while operating in Al Anbar Province.The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense." ICCC counts 2839 US troops dead since the start of the illegal war and 21 dead for the month.


In other Iraq news, Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily (IPS) examine the realities of Iraq's Facilities Protection Services and note the belief "that the FPS consists mainly of criminals who looted banks and government offices at the beginning of the U.S. invasion in April 2003."


In legal news, Reuters reports that Steven D. Green pleaded not guilty today "in federal court to charges he participated in a gang rape of an Iraqi girl and murdered her and her family in March." That would be Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi who was murdered on March 12, 2006 in the town of Mahmoudiyah along with her parents Oassim Hamza Raheem and Fakhriya Taha Muhasen as well as her five-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza. Green was discharged from the US military before events became public. On Friday, June 30th, he was arrested in Asheville, North Carolina and charged with rape. Five members still in the US military have also been charged. Anthony W. Yribe has been charged with dereliction of duty for not reporting the incident and the other four (Paul Cortez, Jesse Spielman, Bryan Howard and James Barker) have been charged with murder, rape and arson. At the Article 32 hearing for the four, prosecutor Captain Alex Pickands stated: "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." Green, who is being tried in a civilian court, could face the death penalty if convicted as could Speilman and Cortez if found guilty in a court-martial.


In peace news, Chris Arsenault (The Dominion) takes a look at US war resister Corey Glass currently in Canada, at the War Resisters Support Campaign and notes that depite the petition with 35,000 signatures "demanding Canada treat Iraq War objectors the same way we treated Vietnam War resisters . . . the immigration and refugee board, whose mandate is different from the courts, has" refused to rule in favor of asylum for war resisters. Glass tells Arsenault: "I signed up to defend people and do humanitarian work filling sandbags if there was a hurricane; I should have been in New Orleans, not Iraq." Three other war resisters who went to Canada include Kyle Snyder who turned himself in at Fort Knox on October 31st only to self-check out again after the US military lied to him again, Joshua Key who was denied refugee status by the Canadian government and Ivan Brobeck who returned to the US yesterday to turn himself in.


Meanwhile, Gladys Tericho (Mennoite Central Committee) reports on the conference on conscientious objection held October 20-21 and bringing together groups "including Mennoite, Doukhobor, Quaker and Jehovah's Witnesses." She notes Harry Loewen (Professor Emeritus of Mennonite History and Studies at the University of Winnipeg") stating: "It is important that we deal with these issues now. . . . This principle must not be abandoned, it must be strengthened."


CNN reports that Bully Boy announced "Don Rumsfeld . . . superb leader" has resigned and that Bully Boy also stated, "The timing is right for new leadership at the Pentagon." Now it's time? Only now? No wonder Condi Rice keeps getting promoted. Rums-fled is out. Zalmay soon will be.


Finally, Ehren Watada's father, Bob Watada, and his step-mother, Rosa Sakanishi, continue their speaking tour to raise awareness on Ehren -- the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Upcoming dates include:

Nov 8, 7PM Albany, NY Sponsor: VFP National Location: TBAContact: Elliot Adams, 518-441-2697, elliottadams@juno.com

Nov 9, TBA Philadelphia, PA. Location: Annenberg School of Communication, Penn University, Room 109 Sponsors: Iraq Veterans Against the War, Delaware Valley Veterans for America, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star MothersContact: Bill Perry, 215-945-3350, BpVetforPeace@aol.com

Nov 10, 7:30PM New York City, NY Location: St. Paul/St. Andrews Methodist Church West End Avenue and West 86th Streets, Sponsor: NYC Area Chapters of VFP & IVAW Contact: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.netGeorge McAnanama, gmacan@aol.com

Nov 11, 11AM-5PM New York City, NY Veterans Day Parade Sponsor: NYC Area Chapters of VFP & IVAW Contact: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.net

Nov 12, TBA Long Island, NY TBA

Nov 13, 7PM Ann Arbor, MI "The Ground Truth" and Bob Watada Location: TBA Sponsors: Michigan Peace Works http://michiganpeaceworks.org,Contact: Phillis Engelbert, 734-761-5922, philliseng@yahoo.com


iraqkyle snyderamy goodmandemocracy nowivan brobeck
joshua key
corey glassthe new york timeskirk semplemissy comley beattie
ehren watadabob watada
dahr jamailali al-fadhilynancy a. youssef

gas bagging about the elections

'they want things done. they're not looking at whether you're voting with democrats.' lois debarry. what a 'brave voice' and aren't we lucky to hear that crap?

i'm in conn. where ned lamont is losing as we all knew would happen shortly after he won the primary. they piled it on thick about him, arianna huffington was 1 of the few exceptions, and couldn't do any real reporting, just cheerleading. if they'd been serious and offered up some real criticism, ned lamont might have been able to regain his momentum. instead, he became wishy-washy with each passing day and the 'independent' cheerleaders just made lamont more of a joke.

i don't vote in conn. fly boy does. we're at his parents' house and there's no surprise that lamont suffered premature evaluation. he lost it. no 1's fault but his own.

casey junior appears to have won. and we're all worse off for it. the dems don't seem to have control of the senate at this point, or much chance of that. so they killed a real democrat's campaign so that they could shove off the anti-choice, pro-war casey.

it appears ford junior has lost. dubarry was talking him up like crazy. he's disgusting. not more so than casey junior. both juniors are disgusting, equally. in a fair world, they would have both lost.

some dumb ass needs to shut up on pacifica right now. he has no idea of what he's talking about ('vangical voters) and is just spinning. there was a man from ohio who discussed the realities of the 'vangical voters and yet here we hear blah blah.

oh damn.

it was that stupid chip berlet. he's an idiot. as my mother-in-law just said, 'that explains it.'

i didn't realize that was who was speaking. chip berlet what a fool. every 1 who heard the reports from the other states throughout the night, knows chip berlet is a fool, and a fat fool.
some 1 kick him to the curb. whiny little ass.

i couldn't understand how some 1 could be so stupid (and racist - thinking conservative african-american 'vangical voters would vote democratic). it wasn't 2 hours ago that the guy in ohio was explaining how their might be a record turnout for african-americans voting republican as a result of the 'social issues.'

gas bags like berlet do not belong on air. they make the entire broadcast look stupid because they're pushing their own pet issues. you expect that from the people with campaign but the so-called independent voices are supposed to be aware of what they're speaking of.

chip berlet never knows what he's speaking of. it's as though all he's thinking is when he can run off and hit the rocky road ice cream.

the democrats just announced, kendrick meeks in d.c., that they'd won the control of the house.
they could have won the senate, they could have won the house by a wide margin. that would've required bravery.

there was none. ned lamont won the primary and then was like a declawed cat. fly boy and i were watching tv 3 weeks ago and he groaned and wondered why lamont didn't just disappear until election day? he didn't think vanishing could hurt lamont more than lamont's b.s. remarks.

of course all results are suspect without a paper trail. maybe ford junior would win with a paper trail? i don't think lamont would have. he became a joke. ned lamont turned into ned flanders (simpsons) over night. it was disgusting.

so my in-laws had every 1 over. i warned her iw as bringing my laptop both to blog and to listen to pacifica's coverage. on the big screen, they've got cnn but a number of people have come over throughout the night to the corner i've set up in. i told my mother-in-law that i didn't want to seem rude but that i intended to listen to the coverage. she was fine with that and she's been among the people who've come over throughout the evening. with mitch in d.c., larry in berkeley, deepa in new orleans, etc., i think they've done a pretty amazing job throughout the evening. larry has been especially strong with his questioning. he gets to the point quick and when he's being spun, he doesn't agree and build up to the question, he just gets to the question.

i know the gang's listening to kpfa (c.i., ava, jess, jim, ty and dona) so i assume they're hearing this too. i turned off my cell when the party started and that's driving me crazy. all of the jokes about me and phone use are true. but i didn't want to look even more rude in my little corner with my laptop and streaming audio.

my mother-in-law has really been a dream tonight. i told her she was scaring me. but thanksgiving is coming up and this will be the 1st since fly boy and i remarried. we've been talking, him and me, about how we were going to handle that and she brought that up tonight saying we could all get together on friday. so i'll call my family and tell them we'll do christmas eve with them and we'll do christmas here. i started to type, 'i wonder if i should invite elaine?'
her only family is her brother (their parents died when elaine was young). i know she usually does thanksgiving with c.i. but hates the 'madhouse' (all the guests) at christmas time. but i just realized, she'll be at mike's because they're a couple now. i wonder if she's doing that for both holidays? she usually does spend thanksgiving at c.i.'s. that started back in college. our 1st year in fact. c.i. and i were both going home and we found out elaine wasn't. her brother was working so there was nothing to go home to. so c.i. cancelled plans and stayed. they've missed thanksgivings before but i think it's been at least 5 years since they didn't spend it together.

i know jess' parents are coming out to c.i.'s for thanksgiving and ava's intending to stay out there for both holidays (she has family in new york and california). but i hadn't even thought about holidays other than what fly boy and i were doing until a few minutes ago. i think ty told me he was staying out there for thanksgiving because it's so short (the school break) and going home on christmas. jess is going home for christmas too (which is why his family is coming out for thanksgiving). ava grew up in california and really doesn't care for the east coast. i need to find out what dona and jim are doing. both because they are friends and because i doubt the site's going dead for either weekend.

okay enough gas baggery about elections. i keep stopping every few paragraphs to talk (and to drink). if i'd been focused on writing, i'd probably already be done. this is associated press via the guardian of london:

As of Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, at least 2,837 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,275 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is three more than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Tuesday at 10 a.m. EST.
The British military has reported 121 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, six; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, one death each.
Since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, 21,572 U.S. service members have been wounded, according to a Defense Department tally.

remember when it was going to be a 'cakewalk'? we're closing in on 3,000. you'd think with the increase in fatalities, there would be an increase in coverage but there really isn't. each year of the war seems to bring less and less coverage.

okay, i have to wind down. fly boy just came over and said he was getting ready to turn in and i'm kind of tired as well. it's 2 minutes until midnight. here's c.i.'s 'iraq snapshot:'

Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, another US war resister returns to the US from Canada, Halliburton puts on Cher's Living Proof CD and plays dumb, and prison abuse back in the headlines.


"In Iraq, I found myself being the problem instead of the solution" -- Ivan Brobeck quoted by Alison Bodine (Fire This Time). Today, he became the latest US war resister to return from Canada to the United States. Quantico Marine Base in Quantico, VA is where he expects to be processed. Brobeck enlisted in the Marines and, as Jim Fennerty explained to Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) last Friday, there are different processes for different branches and Fennerty believes that Brobeck will "be placed in the brig" and very likely face a court-martial -- which wasn't the case for Darrell Anderson whom Fennerty also represented. Courage to Resist has posted the twenty-year-old war resister's open letter to the Bully Boy. Speaking with Nora Barrows Friedman on yesterday's Flashpoints Brobeck shared: "I'm sort of trying to teach them to open their eyes. It's easy to forget basic stuff in Iraq."


Ivan Brobeck in is own words via Pacific News Service:

I was in the Marines. I joined in June 2003, and after boot camp in March of 2004 I was sent directly to Iraq. This wasn't at all unsettling to me. You see, I went into the Army because I wanted to fight the bad guys. In school during history classes I learned that the Army and Marines had done all these wonderful things, and it all sounded so patriotic and I wanted to do the same. I wanted to fight for freedom.
I didn't care, and I still don't care, if I died fighting for a good and noble cause which is what I wanted to do.

In Iraq, I found myself being the problem instead of the solution. A problem in a normal town, in the life of normal people, like the people here in Toronto, trying to go about their life and risking getting shot at by me. Innocent people getting killed for misunderstandings, and for even more trivial things. I found myself in situations with my partners where we had to shoot at speeding cars, at people that probably were just trying to get out of our way.

All these insurgents, as they call them, they're not. They're people who have nothing left. There was this guy who was mad at us because we had killed his family. Wife, children, everybody but him had been killed. He was seeking some kind of retribution. That is not an insurgent, that's a desperate man.

My ethnic background is Salvadoran; my mom is from El Salvador. So the fight against tyranny is something that is dear to me, considering the history of El Salvador. I believed that the war in Iraq was a just war, and it was not. Now, before I get involved again, I really have to see somebody overcoming my country with weapons in hand.

Ivan Brobeck, Darrell Anderson, Ricky Clousing, Mark Wilkerson, Ehren Watada Camilo Meija, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Joshua Key, Jeremy Hinzman, Corey Glass, Patrick Hart, Clifford Cornell, Agustin Aguayo, Joshua Despain, Katherine Jashinski, and Kevin Benderman are among those who have been part of a movement of war resistance within the military.

Focusing on one US war resister mentioned above (also a Fennerty client), Kyle Snyder returned from Canada last week only to discover that the same military that lied to sign up, was still lying. Noting the ABC News investigation that found the lies of recruiters continue, Elaine commented: "Will anyone get in trouble for the above? No. But kids will be lied to. Young adults and peole who aren't even 18 yet will be lied to over and over. They'll believe the lies. They'll assume no one in uniform would say something if it wasn't true. My friend, who's back from Iraq and speaking to students so that they don't end up over there, has so many stories like this. He's speaking about twice a week now and there is never just a handful of students who are able to share the kind of lies they've been told, it's always a large number."

Why do recruiters lie? Because they can get away with it. Because they won't be punished. They can sign up someone, someone who is not even able to legally purchase a beer, to a 'contract' that could result in the loss of life and they can do so with any lie that can tumble out of their mouths because there is no accountability.

Information on recruiters and protecting schools can be found at Coalition Against Militarism in Our Schools, Counter-Recruitment and Alternatives to the Military Program and Campus Anti-War Network. Information on war resistance within the military can be found at Center on Conscience & War, The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline, and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Appeal for Redress is collecting signatures of active duty service members calling on Congress to bring the troops home.



"When the money's gone/ Will you be my friend?" asks Cher in "When The Money's Gone" (Living Proof) and it's a question Halliburton may be wondering about the White House. James Glanz (New York Times) reports that a new scandal has emerged over their 2003 no-bid contract "to deliver gasoline to Iraq" which might seem simple easy enough but KRB [Kellogg Brown & Root] were charging "as much as $25,000 per month for each of as many as 1,8000 fuel trucks". Al Jazeera reports: "The audit of 15 noncompetitive contracts paid for by US government agencies with Iraqi oil money was unable to account for $22.4 million in funds, a UN-led watchdog said on Monday."
The report for the IAMB [International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq] is available online, PDF format, and the auditing was done by KPMG.


Within Iraq, Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reports on the charges, brought by the Interior Ministry, "of 57 employees, including high-ranking officers, with human rights crime for their role in the torture of hundreds of detainees once jailed in a notorius eastern Baghdad prison known as Site 4". Kirk Semple (New York Times) notes that Site 4 is not the only Interior Ministry run prison that's been found to be a source of abuse. As they day has progressed the number charged has increased. Steve Negus (Financial Times of London) reports that those now charged include "[a] general and nearly 100 other members of Iraq's police force". The BBC reminds that Site Four was a "secret prison" until May when "Iraqi and US officials found the jail at a building in east Baghdad belonging to the Shia-Muslim dominated ministry." Discovered in May and dealt with in . . . November. On top of that, CBS and AP note:
"CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick reports that the Iraqis plan eventually to retrain all of their police batallions." Retrain all.


Crackdown, shake-up, country break up . . . But outside the press eye. The show trial still provides gas bags to pretend they're reporting. The US election allows people to shout out "IRAQ!" and act like they've offered coverage on it. Once again, it's time to treat the Iraq war as an after thought apparently.

A few of the events that actually got some coverage.



Bombings?

Christopher Bodeen (AP) reports that mortar attacks left 22 wounded in Baghdad. Reuters notes a bombing in Basra took one life and left seven wounded while three were killed and eight wonded from a roadside bomb in Falluja.

Shootings?
Reuters reports that a police officer was shot dead in Kirkuk. AP notes that "sniper attacks and a roadside bombing in Karmah" claimed the lives of six Iraqi soldiers.Corpses?

Sky News reports that 15 corpses were discovered in Suwayrah. AP reports that they were all found "blindfolded and bound at the wrists and ankles, before being shot in the head and chest." Reuters notes that two corpses "and a decapitated head" were discovered in Falluja.

And the Whack-a-mole goes on. Having attempted to seize the city of Falluja in April of 2004 and the slaughter that followed in November 2004, the checkpoints requiring bio-metric i.d.s to enter, et al., it may come as a surprise to learn, via Jay Price and Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers), that there is 'concern' over resistance in Falluja yet again.

While the US military and White House attempt to ignore the fact that it's the same fight over and over (and that the war is lost), the deaths continue to pile up on all sides. Today the US military announced: "A Multi-National Division -- Baghdad Soldier died at approximately 10:40 p.m. Monday from wounds he received after the vehicle he was riding in was struck by an improvised-explosive device in northwest Baghdad." The announcement brought to 19 the number of US troops killed in Iraq this month. Meanwhile, in England, Lee Glendinning (Times of London) reports on the British military announcing a Monday death: "The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died after the army base came under small arms fire, the Ministry of Defence said." The death brought to 121 the number of British soldiers who have died in Iraq since the start of the illegal war and comes a day after mothers of two soldiers who died in Iraq took their case to the Court of Appeal.

Michael Evans (Times of London) reports that Beverley Clarke and Rose Gentle pressed their case yesterday as to the legality of the illegal war. Both women lost their songs (Trooper David Clarke and Fusilier Gordon Gentle) in Iraq. The BBC reports that outside the court, Rose Gentle stated: "Why can't Tony Blair be man enough to stand up and say he will give an inquiry and stop a lot of court cases going ahead? Ehat has he got to hide? Our boys are being killed day-by-bya. It we dod succeed in this case it will be a bonus. If we don't, we can say we tried and we fought for the boys and have got more backbone than the MPS who didn't stand up for them in last week's vote."

Another mother for peace, Cindy Sheehan is taking part in the Gold Star Families for Peace sit-in at the White House in DC. Today's actions including organizing exit poll teams (for the day's election) and the plan to hold an event this evening in Lafayette Square Park while tomorrow will include the delivery of a petition opposing an attack on Iraq. Other DC actions this week include Military Families Speak Out's plan to deliver a petition to Congress and Rummy demanding troops home now and an end to the backdoor draft.

Finally, Ehren Watada's father, Bob Watada, and his step-mother, Rosa Sakanishi, continue their speaking tour to raise awareness on Ehren -- the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq. Upcoming dates include:

Nov 7, 4:30PM Portland, ME Location: Meditation Center Sponsor: Veterans for Peace, Chapter 1 Contact: Doug Rawlings, 207-293-2580, rawlings@maine.edu,

Nov. 7, 6-9PM Brunswick, ME Location: Morrill Room, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street Pot luck supper and speaking engagement Time: 6 - 7:30pm

Nov 8, 7PM Albany, NY Sponsor: VFP National Location: TBAContact: Elliot Adams, 518-441-2697, elliottadams@juno.com

Nov 9, TBA Philadelphia, PA. Location: Annenberg School of Communication, Penn University, Room 109 Sponsors: Iraq Veterans Against the War, Delaware Valley Veterans for America, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star MothersContact: Bill Perry, 215-945-3350, BpVetforPeace@aol.com

Nov 10, 7:30PM New York City, NY Location: St. Paul/St. Andrews Methodist Church West End Avenue and West 86th Streets, Sponsor: NYC Area Chapters of VFP & IVAW Contact: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.netGeorge McAnanama, gmacan@aol.com

Nov 11, 11AM-5PM New York City, NY Veterans Day Parade Sponsor: NYC Area Chapters of VFP & IVAW Contact: Thomas Brinson, 631-889-0203, ltbrin@earthlink.net

Nov 12, TBA Long Island, NY TBA

Nov 13, 7PM Ann Arbor, MI "The Ground Truth" and Bob Watada Location: TBA Sponsors: Michigan Peace Works http://michiganpeaceworks.org,Contact: Phillis Engelbert, 734-761-5922, philliseng@yahoo.com