Uncertainty and possible danger await the refugees and internally displaced Iraqis seeking to return to their homes in Baghdad. Many will find those homes occupied by others. The Iraqi government appears to have no real plan to deal with a problem that one spokesman is calling a potential national crisis.
On a recent morning, a group of men and women crowds inside the halls of a government office in west Baghdad. The wait is long and they are agitated. Among them is Suad Mohammed, draped in a black abaya, one hand squeezing a tissue she uses to dab tears from her eyes.
"We were kicked out of our home in Dora," she says. "They took my house and furniture."
Suad and her family, all Shia, fled their home in the south Baghdad district of Dora after they were threatened by Sunni insurgents. She says the insurgent leader has already sold the house.
that's from jamie tarabay's report for npr's morning edition. the lies were told to refugees that the place was 'safe' and they bused and paid off refugees in syria and this is what the trickle that has returned finds. in addition, the scotsman reports that iraqi state tv is running more myths and lies about how great it is to be back in iraq with the hopes that more refugees will return despite the fact that the united nations says iraq can't handle a large influx of refugees currently. pure propaganda. and, as c.i. notes in today's snapshot, next month, the 1st of january, the iraqi puppet government is cutting off 1/2 the subsidies provide and reducing the amount of the other subsidies. no, it's not about money, it's about trying to 'transform' their market. and too bad for the children who will be denied milk. too damn bad.
that's disgusting.
it's 1 more failure of the u.s. congress. if they'd gotten the troops out, then bully boy couldn't try to destroy the markets and, in the process, sentence many more children to malnutrition and death.
meanwhile the new republic(an) stabbed a writer in the back. this is from the guardian of london:
Hostilities between right- and left-wing journals and blogs over the coverage of the Iraq war have claimed a fresh scalp after the New Republic magazine retracted a series of articles from a US soldier, saying it could no longer stand by his accounts.
The editor of the left-leaning magazine, Franklin Foer, has posted a 7,000-word description of the soul-searching that has consumed the magazine for the past four months over dispatches it published from Iraq by an army private.
i don't buy it or the self-serving comments by foer that maybe it wasn't so smart to let the soldier's wife be his fact checker. maybe it wasn't. (it's called conflict of interest unless they are billed as a team.) but i don't believe she would have gone easy on him for that reason. i think she would have been more strict because it was her job.
if you buy foer's nonsense then you need to ask a question: why did it take so long to address?
it wasn't a long investigation. it was a delayed 1.
why was that?
see foer had just squeezed a baby through his body to give birth.
oh, wait. he didn't do that.
his wife did.
he just took months of family leave.
i'm sorry, when you're in charge of the magazine and a scandal like this breaks, your family leave is over. i don't care if you're a man or a woman - and on the latter, i don't care if you've just given birth. if you are in charge, you have to deal with something like this immediately.
but i don't believe that scott dechamp lied and i don't believe that his wife went easy on him.
foer's a chicken sh*t and the magazine has such a long history in recent times of making up lies (stephen glass was far from alone) so it's time to present a severed head.
they're destroying scott and his wife instead of standing by them. pretty pathetic but the new republic(an) has been pretty pathetic for years. and speaking of pathetic, only the pathetic guardian of london could bill the centrist new republic(an) as left.
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Tuesday, December 4, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, Katrina provides the jokes, the 'great return' never was, oil deals are encouraged and Iraqis are told there's no money in the budget for children's milk . . .
Starting with war resisters. On November 15th, Canada's Supreme Court refused to hear the appeals of US war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. David Stein (Canadian National Newspaper) examines some of the issues involved in their case and notes the work of the War Resisters Support Campaign. Stein notes, "The Supreme Court decision appeared to disrespect Canadian constitutional precedence in relation to the safe haven that Canada provided . . . during the 1960's, and current law associated with refugees fleeing oppression and persecutory law." Along with those points there is also a court ruling that came down at the end of November. Hinzman and Hughey wanted to be recognized as a refugees. The verdict they received appeared based on (and certainly the US ambassador to Canada echoes this line) the fact that Canada and the United States are so 'tight.' Not all that tight. Nicholas Keung (Toronto Star) reported November 30th, "Canada will no longer have the right to turn back asylum seekers at the American border under a federal court ruling that deems the United States not a safe country for refugees -- opening the door for a potential flood of northbound claimants." What's going on? This has to do with refugees who land first in the United States and then continue onto Canada intending to apply for asylum there. These are not the same issues involved in Hughey and Hinzman's case, true, but one of the beliefs is that the US is peachy keen and no harm can come from expelling war resisters back to the United States. But, notice, with another class of refugees, a Canadian federal court says asylum seekers who land in the US and then continue onto Canada can not be refused entry and returned to the US. Keung notes the following as areas of concerns to Judge Michael Phelan: "the issues over the American authorities' use of expedited removals and use of detention, combined with concerns over the U.S.'s rigid application of the one-year bar to refugee claims, the provisions governing security issues and terrorism based on a lower standard, called into question whether the U.S. is safe for asylum seekers." Again, that case and the issues involved in the asylum claims by US war resisters are different, but one federal court is saying that one class of refugees cannot be refused entry into Canada and the Judge also specifically noted the United States' violation of the Convention Against Torture. The courts have failed war resisters and now the energy is focused on the Canadian Parliament which will hold hearings on the subject December 11th.
Cindy Sheehan (OpEdNews) urges people to utilize Courage to Resist's easy to mail or e-mail resources to allow the Canadian government to know you are watching and to support organizations supporting war resisters as well as supporting war resisters:
Support actual war resisters in Canada by sending them expense money. From my friend Ryan (I gave him and his wife money to get to Canada over two years ago):
In light of the recent Supreme Court denial in Canada, I (Ryan Johnson), My wife (Jen Johnson) and Brandon Hughey need help raising funds to travel to Ottawa to attend hearings before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where War Resisters will be giving Testimony to the committee. At these hearings the committee will be deciding on whether or not to make a provision to allow war resisters to stay in Canada. This is one of our last chances to be able to continue living in Canada. We will be leaving December 7th because the hearings are December 11th, 2007 so we need to act fast. They may try to send guys back soon and we need to have a strong War Resister Presence. We appreciate all of the support and Want to thank all of you who can help.
Checks/money orders can be sent for Ryan, Jen and Brandon to:312 Tower Rd Nelson, BC V1L3K6
Courage to Resist profiles war resister Kimberly Rivera explaining how she ended up checking out and moving with her husband and children to Canada: "Kimberly Rivera grew up in Mesquite, Texas, a suburb east of Dallas. She had never thought of becoming a soldier until she was seventeen and the Army recruiters visited her home to meet with Kimberly and her parents. The recruiters offered money for college that her family did not have. Her mother was supporting Kimberly, her father, and her two sisters after her father suffered a work related accident. She took an aptitute test for job placement out of 'curiosity', but later signed up to be a mechanic. She was given an elistment date following graduation for the Army Resevers." She was released from the military due to pregnancy at the end of 200. With the costs of raising two children, she decided to re-enlist and found herself stationed in Iraq. "I felt like I was losing my mind. I was so close to death so many times. It scares me now. My life as I knew it was falling apart and I was unable to pull it together. I was surrouned by males who were filled with filthy comments and talking about all kinds of sexual things. I was there for three months and was scared that some of the guys might try to get me to trust them just so later they could have their chance to abuse me." A not uncommon nor unrealistic fear based on reported cases of sexual assault in the military. "While in Iraq losing soldiers and civilians was part of daily life. I was a gate guard. This was looked down on by infantry soldiers who go out in the streets, but gate guards are the highest security of the Foward Operation Base. We searched vehicles, civilian personnel, and military convoys that left and came back every hour. I had a huge awakening seeing the war as it truly is: people losing their lives for greed of a nation and the effects on the soldiers who come back with new problems such as nightmares, anxieties, depression, anger alcohol abuse, missing limbs and scars from burns. Some don't come back at all. On December 21, 2006 I was going to my room and something in my heart told me to go call my husband. And when I did 24 rounds of mortars hit the FOB in a matter of minutes after I got on the phone . . . the mortars were 10-15 feet from where I was. I found a hole from the shrapnel in my room in the plywood window. That night I found the shrapnel on my bed in the same place where my head would have been if I hadn't changed my plans and gone to the phone." The death of an Iraqi civilian and a base visit by an Iraq father and his daughter took place before her leave. While in Texas on leave, she and her husband made the decision to go to Canada. In the Iraq War, there are many resisters who never go public. Of those who go public, Stephen Funk is the first to resist. Camilo Mejia is the first Iraq veteran to resist, Jeremy Hinzman is the first resister to go public in Canada, Ehren Watada is the first officer to resist, Eli Israel is the first to resist while stationed in Iraq and Kimberly Rivera is the first female resister to go public in Canada.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
The voice of war resister Camilo Mejia is featured in Rebel Voices -- playing now through December 16th at Culture Project and based on Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's best-selling book Voices of a People's History of the United States. It features dramatic readings of historical voices such as war resister Mejia, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Malcom X and others will be featured. Musician Allison Mooerer will head the permanent cast while those confirmed to be performing on selected nights are Ally Sheedy (actress and poet, best known for films such as High Art, The Breakfast Club, Maid to Order, the two Short Circuit films, St. Elmo's Fire, War Games, and, along with Nicky Katt, has good buzz on the forthcoming Harold), Eve Ensler who wrote the theater classic The Vagina Monologues (no, it's not too soon to call that a classic), actor David Strathaim (L.A. Confidential, The Firm, Bob Roberts, Dolores Claiborne and The Bourne Ultimatum), actor and playwright Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, Clueless -- film and TV series, Gregory and Chicken Little), actress Lili Taylor (Dogfight, Shortcuts, Say Anything, Household Saints, I Shot Andy Warhol, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, State of Mind) and actor, director and activist Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Beloved, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Rainmaker, Places In The Heart, Dreamgirls, Shooter and who recently appeared on Democracy Now! addressing the US militarization of Africa) The directors are Will Pomerantz and Rob Urbinati with Urbinati collaborating with Zinn and Arnove on the play. Tickets are $21 for previews and $41 for regular performances (beginning with the Nov. 18th opening night). The theater is located at 55 Mercer Street and tickets can be purchased there, over the phone (212-352-3101) or online here and here. More information can be found at Culture Project.
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
A lot to cover and we can probably use a joke before getting started. Fortunately editor & publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel (The Nation via Common Dreams) provides it, "But here's the real problem (because we all know horserace coverage is what we're going to get at this stage in this endless campaign). . . Even if the Post or the Times devoted a full story analyzing the leading candidates' healthcare proposals, how much attention would the two papers give to alternatives offered by someone like Congressman Dennis Kucinich -- the only candidate supporting a truly universal, Medicare for all, healthcare plan, that according to recent polls, has majority support? I suspect very little." Are you sides aching yet? The Nation has featured Dennis Kucinich on the cover once this year -- in a drawing of all the Democratic presidential candidates. Barack Obama was on that cover. He's also had two solo covers this year. On Iraq, Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate to publicly oppose the illegal war consistently. (In 2002, Obama was against it. By 2004, he was stating the US had to stay and telling the New York Times that if he had been in Congress in 2002, he didn't know how he would have voted. He gets into the Senate and votes to fund the illegal war over and over. Somehow The Nation repeatedly misses everything that followed his 2002 'anti-dumb war' speech.) So vanden Heuvel is truly the last to lecture daily papers about their coverage of the campaign. She can't even include Kucinich's name in her post title. And, it gets better, after getting her high horse about how little coverage the New York Times or the Washington Post would give to Kucinich's health care proposal . . . she goes on to review the plans of . . . John Edwards, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. 24 paragraphs of 'coverage' and 'analysis' and she can't even include Kucinich in the mix -- after getting castigating others who might do . . . what she just did. Smooth down your skirt, your hypocrisy's showing.
Now to serious issue, Ira Chernus (Common Dreams) warns readers that various mouthpieces are trying to declare Iraq is no longer an issue: "If Iraq is disappearing from the headlines, there is some other factor at work here. I suspect it's that editors and cable show hosts are watching what's going on, not only in Iraq, but in Washington and in elite policymaking circles (like the Council on Foreign Relations, where [Peter] Beinart is a senior fellow). They know that at the highest levels the debate about what to do in Iraq pretty much ended over this summer." What is about the Council on Foreign Relations and how they refuse to get serious about the illegal war. You get the feeling that if they ran an allegedly left magazine, they'd be ignoring the war, war resisters, et al and doing cover stories on rubber duckies and horseraces. Hey, that describes The Nation. Oh, yeah, KvH, Council on Foreign Relations.
In the real world, Cara Buckley (New York Times) notes that the Red Crescent says 25,000 Iraq refugees have returned to Iraq since mid-September -- 25,000, only 25,000. CBS and AP note: "Officials in Iraq and Syria have said more than 46,000 refugees returned in October and claimed the flow has continued unabated." Far from the inflated numbers the puppet government has repeatedly told the press. Meanwhile the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Steffan de Mistura held a news conference to emphasize that "this is not a massive return" and that Iraq couldn't hanlde a massive return. CBS and AP quote the Iraqi Red Crescent report on why some are returning: "The high cost of living and rented apartments and the limited employment opportunities contributed to lack of stability of Iraqi families and increased their passion to return to their country." And of course being bribed and bused in doesn't hurt either. Who is the central (puppet) government in Iraq preying on? Hannah Allam and Miret el Naggar (McClatchy Newspapers) examine at life in Syria:Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees in Syria face a bleak winter, with rising fuel costs that could leave many without enough money for food, the director of the World Food Program said Monday.About a third of Iraqi respondents in a recent United Nations study said they skipped one meal a day to feed their children. Nearly 60 percent said that they're buying cheaper, less nutritious food to cope with a dramatic increase in prices.With the weather turning colder and heating prices rising, humanitarian workers predict more Iraqis will go hungry in order to keep up with rent and utilities."We need more help here," WFP executive director Josette Sheeran said in an interview.The WFP, a U.N. agency that is the world's largest humanitarian organization, provides food to about 50,000 Iraqi families who've sought refuge in Syria. Sheeran said that her organization doesn't have the funds to maintain its $5.6 million operation and that she soon will call for more international assistance.There are the refugees being preyed upon, being told it is 'safe' in Iraq, being bribed to return. And let's talk about what happens when they return. The United Nations' IRIN reports that Abid Falah al-Soodani (Trade Minister) announced yesterday that, starting next month, "the quantity of national food rations delivered freely to all Iraqi families will be futher reduced -- from 10 to five items." Now let's be clear, this isn't just halfing the food supplies. He told the Iraqi Parliament that the five items provided will be provided in lower numbers. Here's what's getting cut out: tea, beans, children's milk, soap detergent and tomato paste. Here's what's getting reduced: rice, sugar, cooking oil, flour and milk for adults. What a way to say, "Welcome Home!" And to be clear, despite the lies, this has nothing to do with a government 'shortfall.' This is about ending the subsidies which Paul Bremer already tried once. The Iraqi government has more money than they spend at this point (though a great deal ends up in personal pockets) and this claim that they can't afford to supply children with milk is nothing but a lie. In other attacks on the Iraqi people, UPI reports that the Samuel Bodman (US Secretary of Energy) met with the "Kurdish region's oil minister" to push for the Iraqi theft-of-oil law proposal and, in contradiction to previous White House public positions, he's giving a green light to "international oil companies" to start signing Iraqi oil deals.
Meanwhile Reuters reports US forces shot 4 Iraqi civilians at a checkpoint in Tamiya on Monday and that one has died. In other reported violence today . . .
Bombings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad bombing that wounded two people, a Dalli Abbas mortar attack that left eight people wounded and a Jalawla bombing that claimed the lives of 6 people with twenty-five more injured.
Shootings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports the latest attacks on an official: today "gunmen opened fire attacking the house of the ministry of electricity Kareem Waheed in Zayuna neighborhood east Baghdad wounding three of his guards"; yesterday "Atallah Eskander, the member in the local council of Hawija town west of Kirkuk and his driver Hamad Ali Hussein" were shot dead; on Saturday Mun'im Hadi ("employee of Diwaniyah city intelligence directorate office") was shot dead in Najaf. Reuters notes 1 "security officer" was shot dead in Tuz Khurmato (his brother was injured).
Corpses?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 6 corpses discovered in Baghdad and 2 outside Kirkuk. Reuters notes 3 corpses discovered in Mosul and 2 in Mahaweel.
Walter Cronkite and David Krieger (Common Dreams) explore the topic of the illegal war and what needs to be done:
The American people no longer support the war in Iraq. The war is being carried on by a stubborn president who, like Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War, does not want to lose. But from the beginning this has been an ill-considered and poorly prosecuted war that, like the Vietnam War, has diminished respect for America. We believe Mr. Bush would like to drag the war on long enough to hand it off to another president.
The war in Iraq reminds us of the tragedy of the Vietnam War. Both wars began with false assertions by the president to the American people and the Congress. Like Vietnam, the Iraq War has introduced a new vocabulary: "shock and awe," "mission accomplished," "the surge." Like Vietnam, we have destroyed cities in order to save them. It is not a strategy for success.
The Bush administration has attempted to forestall ending the war by putting in more troops, but more troops will not solve the problem. We have lost the hearts and minds of most of the Iraqi people, and victory no longer seems to be even a remote possibility. It is time to end our occupation of Iraq, and bring our troops home.
12/04/2007
12/03/2007
mondays
okay, i'm opening with Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "From the kitchen of the Peace Resister".
an instant classic. you know i loved it. it was every 1 on board this weekend at the common ills. in addition to isaiah, you had "Ruth's Report" and i love ruth, of course. but was that not a not-your-socks-off report? ruth amazes me. we see each several times a week (often all 5 days during the week) but she never ceases to amaze me.
of course, she's exactly right. counterspin is a 1/2 hour program and if they want to complain that the mainstream media offers too little voices from the left, it's just whining unless they intend to offer left voices on their own program. they control that program and they decided to put on 2 guests last week - neither a lefty.
that show really has become ridiculous in my opinion. it may be able to improve at some point but it's so blah-blah-blah.
they could have an exciting show by inviting on war resisters and asking them about the problems getting coverage. but that's from big media & small media and counterspin can't call out small media. they look like hypocrites as a result.
you know, this year, we almost got to hear about the crappy coverage the media - big and small provides. a guest was in the middle of noting that when he was cut off. but imagine if he hadn't been cut off and that had been broadcast?
it might have finally reached the few holdouts who think that independent media is doing a bang up job on covering the illegal war.
peace activists are disgusted with it, war resisters are disgusted with, veterans are discussed with it. the only 1 that seems to think they're doing a bang-up job are independent media and the last hold outs.
counterspin? really bad job. as ruth points out the story should have been the mainstream journalist survey. we'd just finished her iraq study group (i was at her place, as were flyboy and our baby) and she went to turn it on while every 1 was either relaxing or leaving. there was a lot of hope that they might have something to offer. the 2nd interview was superficial but at least had a point. too bad the 1st interview sucked so bad.
as it went on and on and around and around in the center of the universe, people started saying, 'i think i'm going to go.' at the end, there were 3 people in the room - counting ruth and me. as ruth said, 'well i guess counterspin clears a room.' it certainly did friday.
she was really hoping they'd cover the survey (of 110 journalists who cover iraq for the mainstream media - it found that most reporters do not speak to iraqis - stringers get the quotes - that their bosses aren't interested in violence being covered, etc.) and thought that would be something a number of people would want to hear.
that centrist crap in the 1st interview ran every 1 out of the room except 3. before they left, they were rolling their eyes and making comments about 'what is this guy's problem?' glenn greenwald (centrist). they couldn't believe the nonsense. and remember these are largely retired people. there are a few younger women who are at home with their babies or toddlers and they come to the meetings. but most in ruth's neighborhood are older people. they couldn't believe that crap.
ruth switched it off (she listened to end because, as she said, 'this is so bad, i have to write about it') and we went to the kitchen carrying plates and cups. there was actually a sizeable crowd in there with flyboy. ruth said, 'i thought you were all leaving!' they said they just had to get away from that nonsense.
this 1 woman, who has to be close to 80 if she's not 80, said no wonder the illegal war still goes on if counterspin is what 'the young people have to inform them.' she was angry. i don't blame her.
another great thing that went up this weekend is kat's 'Kat's Korner: Ann Wilson sings and stands tall.' ann wilson's hope & glory. i love heart. i've noted them here before many times. but what a cd. ann wilson and nancy wilson have the band heart. this is ann's 1st solo album and boy is she making it memorable. you gotta hear the voice. and look at what she chose to sing. she's making a statement against the war. ann wilson has more guts than bono. she has more guts than most of the little twerps and old geezers out there who are too cowardly to address the iraq war.
ann wilson is amazing.
c.i. passed on this from australia's herald sun:
RADICAL Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr overnight blasted US President George W. Bush for signing a deal with Baghdad that ensures a long-term American military presence in Iraq.
"I say this to the evil Bush - leave my country," Sadr said in the Shiite holy city of Najaf.
"We do not need you and your army of darkness," he said.
"We don't need your planes and tanks. We don't need your policy and your interference. We don't want your democracy and fake freedom. Get out of our land."
Sadr's salvo comes a week after the US president and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced a deal ensuring a long-term presence of US forces in the country.
sadr calling out the bully boy. now why isn't that surprising?
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Monday, December 3, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, Bully Boy tries to Bully Congress, the BBC can't break their habit of lying about the Iraqi refugees, Cynthia McKinney launches her "Power to the People" tour and more.
Starting with war resistance. Dear Camilo (Querido Camilo) is a documentary about Iraq War resister Camilo Mejia who is also the chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War. On Sunday, Prensa Latina reported that in Guatemala, at the Tenth Icaro Central American Film and Video Festival, Querido Camilo "won the first prize" -- "The film tells the story of Camilo Mejia, who refused to serve in the US Army to attack the Iraqi people". The documentary is about Mejia. Camilo Mejia tells his own story in Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejia (published last May by the New Press). Turning from Mejia to the issue of war resisters who went to Canada, last month Canada's Supreme Court refused to hear the appeals of US war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. What now? "With their legal avenues pretty well exhausted, that's absolutely the right direction to take -- lobbying for change to the law to allow resisters to apply for landed-immigrant status." That's Vancouver East New Democratic Party MP Libby Davies speaking to Andy Ivens (Canda's The Province). US war resister Brad McCall tells Ivens what he'd say to the Canadian government: "Take us in. Do what Canada used to do in '70s. Be a haven from militarism." If that doesn't happen, 20-year-old McCall and others will be have to figure out another course of action.
Cindy Sheehan (OpEdNews) urges people to utilize Courage to Resist's easy to mail or e-mail resources to allow the Canadian government to know you are watching and to support organizations supporting war resisters as well as supporting war resisters:
Support actual war resisters in Canada by sending them expense money. From my friend Ryan (I gave him and his wife money to get to Canada over two years ago):
In light of the recent Supreme Court denial in Canada, I (Ryan Johnson), My wife (Jen Johnson) and Brandon Hughey need help raising funds to travel to Ottawa to attend hearings before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where War Resisters will be giving Testimony to the committee. At these hearings the committee will be deciding on whether or not to make a provision to allow war resisters to stay in Canada. This is one of our last chances to be able to continue living in Canada. We will be leaving December 7th because the hearings are December 11th, 2007 so we need to act fast. They may try to send guys back soon and we need to have a strong War Resister Presence. We appreciate all of the support and Want to thank all of you who can help.
Checks/money orders can be sent for Ryan, Jen and Brandon to:312 Tower Rd Nelson, BC V1L3K6
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
The voice of war resister Camilo Mejia is featured in Rebel Voices -- playing now through December 16th at Culture Project and based on Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's best-selling book Voices of a People's History of the United States. It features dramatic readings of historical voices such as war resister Mejia, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Malcom X and others will be featured. Musician Allison Mooerer will head the permanent cast while those confirmed to be performing on selected nights are Ally Sheedy (actress and poet, best known for films such as High Art, The Breakfast Club, Maid to Order, the two Short Circuit films, St. Elmo's Fire, War Games, and, along with Nicky Katt, has good buzz on the forthcoming Harold), Eve Ensler who wrote the theater classic The Vagina Monologues (no, it's not too soon to call that a classic), actor David Strathaim (L.A. Confidential, The Firm, Bob Roberts, Dolores Claiborne and The Bourne Ultimatum), actor and playwright Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, Clueless -- film and TV series, Gregory and Chicken Little), actress Lili Taylor (Dogfight, Shortcuts, Say Anything, Household Saints, I Shot Andy Warhol, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, State of Mind) and actor, director and activist Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Beloved, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Rainmaker, Places In The Heart, Dreamgirls, Shooter and who recently appeared on Democracy Now! addressing the US militarization of Africa) The directors are Will Pomerantz and Rob Urbinati with Urbinati collaborating with Zinn and Arnove on the play. Tickets are $21 for previews and $41 for regular performances (beginning with the Nov. 18th opening night). The theater is located at 55 Mercer Street and tickets can be purchased there, over the phone (212-352-3101) or online here and here. More information can be found at Culture Project.
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
Turning to the myth of the Great Return. It wasn't enough for the BBC to FLAT OUT LIE in November about the myth so today they're back to lie some more: "The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, estimates that about 45,000 Iraqis returned from Syria in October -- the first month of the schol year." Really? Because I'm on the phone asking a friend at the United Nations about that claim and his reply is a little too 'strong' to make the snapshot. Is it too much for the BBC to check their damn facts or are they too interested in lying repeatedly on this topic? November 23rd (ten days ago), UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis stated, "We cannot confirm reports that 46,000 Iraqis returned from Syria in October." That UNHCR release contains the same figures the BBC will use in the next paragraph but somehow they see "cannot confirm" and turn it into the UNHCR "estimates". They have made no such estimation and the BBC needs to stop LYING. The 45,000 figure is the number coming from the puppet government in Baghdad. Repeating, It is not from the United Nations. The UN does estimate that currently 1,500 Iraqis may be coming back from Syria each day but THEY ALSO estimate that 500 Iraqis are entering Syria each day. That would be 1,000 a day. The UNHCR has made no estimate for October. Before we go any futher, let's all remember what John Pilger (New Statesman) recently reminded us all of, "A European study found that, of the major western television networks, the BBC permitted less coverage of dissent than all of them. A second study found that the BBC consistently gave credence to government propaganda that weapons of mass destruction existed." At the New York Times, Damien Cave has covered the myth of the "Great Return" most in depth; however, Cara Buckley has also filed on the topic. Today, she reports on -- pay attention BBC -- actual figures: 25,000. That is the estimate of the Iraqi Red Crescent. 25,000 returned in October! No. 25,000 Iraqis have returned "from Syria since mid-September."
B-b-b-but, BBC is using the 45,000 figure and using it for just one month! Yes, they are. It's the Iraqi government's figure. We've been over and over this since CBS first reported the myth of the great return claiming that 15,000 had returned and then, mere days later, the puppet government began insisting (probably because so few called out the 15,000) that 45,000 had returned in one month alone! (The month of October.) Buckley notes three factors (according to the IRC): (1) reports of a 'widespread drop in violence'; (2) running out of funds and (3) "visa restrictions". As reports by Cave and Michael Gordon & Stephen Farrell have noted, Buckley notes the monies paid to the bused in refugees: US equivalent of $811 ("roughly enough for four months rent in a middle-class Baghdad neighborhood," Buckley explains). Did you catch that by the way? When noting those who've attempted to report the truth on this topic we even have to credit Michael Gordon. We don't have to credit independent media because indepdent media hasn't done ____. They've ignored it or repeated the false claims. Gordo we have called out here (and will do so again) but let's not kid that independent media can hop on a high horse when they've refused to call the nonsense of the 'Great Return' out. ("Independent media" = broadcast and print. I'm not referring to websites or organizations. I'm referring to our 'traditional' independent media which -- if you missed it -- can't make time for most Iraq related topics today.) As Ruth noted Saturday: "When you consider that the lies of the "Great Return" work both domestically (lulling U.S. news consumers into the belief that Iraq is now 'safe') and internationally (lulling refugees into believing they need to consider returning), it is appalling that independent media has refused to call the lies out." Indeed. We could and should also include Amit R. Paley (Washington Post) for noting last month that the claims by the Iraqi government of 46,030 returnees in October was "counter to the overall trend detailed in a recent report by the Iraqi Red Crsecent". If you're late to the party, see the November 3rd snapshot when the issue of the ever changing numbers is noted. Robert Parry (Consortium News) is someone I hate to think of as "independent media" because he's not found twiddling his thumbs. Label him how you want (bravery in exile?) but Parry did cover the topic last month.
On Sunday, Damien Cave (New York Times) reported on the increasing prices on Iraq's blackmarket and noted, "Corruption and theft are not new to Iraq, and government officials have promised to address the problem. But as Iraqis and American officials asses the effects of this year's American troop increase, there is a growing sense that, even as security has improved, Iraq has slipped to new depths of lawlessness." Apparently the puppet agrees. Cara Buckley (New York Times) reports puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement today that noted, "We inherited the corruption from previous regimes, and in this new era, the administrative and financial corruption is still going on." Buckley notes this appears to be a reference to Saddam Hussein; however, the term is "previous regimes" -- plural. That means he was most likely addressing those who held the office of prime minister right before him, Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Iyad Allawi (Allawi served two terms). Buckley tells you al-Maliki has said next year will be an attack on corruption and "a war on those ignorant and lazy people" -- presumably he has given himself an exception to avoid being placed in the latter category.
On Saturday Al Jazeera reported that the Turkish government announced their military had "entered northern Iraq and launched attacks on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters". By Sunday, Sabrina Tavernise and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) would report the usual response from Iraq (no attacks took place) and, pay attention here, they'd quote Haval Zagros explaining that PKK bases in Iraq had not been struck by the Turkish military -- in fact, he'd word it as "none of our bases". Our? Haval Zagros is the PKK's designated spokesperson. Though the article is supposed to tell you that no attack may have happened, of far greater interest is the fact that the PKK, via their own spokesperson, announced that they have bases in Iraq -- something the northern Iraq region's government has denied.
Over the weekend, the Iraqi Parliament saw another walkout. To grasp the boycott . . .
On Thursday, car bombs were said to be discovered in the compound of a member of the Iraqi parliament. On Friday, the member was under house arrest and his protection forces and his son were carted away. A spokesperson for him denied Friday that the bomb or bombs were discovered inside the compound and stated Adnan al-Dulaimi was innocent. Sunday, Tavernise and Farrell report that the "the largest Sunni Arab bloc, the Iraqi Consensus Front, walked out of Parliament to protest what it described as a move by Iraqi security forces to place its leader, Adnan al-Dulaimi, under house arrest." The basic press narrative that emerged was "maybe Adnan al-Dulaimi was under house arrest and maybe he wasn't and the (puppet) government says . . ." Not interested in jotting down official statements, Ali al-Fadhily (IPS) sought out opinions on the house arrest. One of the man's sons explained to al-Fahily, "My father is detained in our house and my brother Makki is being tortured so that he gives any information that could lead to convicting my father." An Iraqi resistance fighter tells al-Fadhily, "The poor old guy sacrified his faith and reputation for a cheap chair in the parliament and now they are throwing him into the garbage can like used Kleenex tissue. We always advised him that the Islamic Party and the Shi'ite Coalition would definitely get rid of him as soon as he is no more needed, but he listened to his pocket more than listening to the voices of reason." Last Sunday, Reuters reported that Adnan al-Dulaimi is no longer confined to his home but has been taken (by the "National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie") to a hotel in the Green Zone and quoted al-Dulaimi announcing, "Since this house arrest has been lifted, the Accordance Front will return to sessions of parliament."
By late Sunday the weekend total of reported deaths had reached at least 78. This total included Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reporting "at least 20 people" were shot dead in the Diayla province on Saturday (and notes the recent attacks mass attacks in Diyal including a bombing that claimed the lives of 7 people, another that left five Iraqis and seven US service members wounded and a November 18th bombing that claimed the lives of 3 US service members) and Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reporting: "Sunday afternoon, three princes of Al-Qaeda proposed to three women in Al-Bu Aziz village of Dali Abass (30 km north of Baquba) .The princes beheaded the three women after they refused the proposal."
Bombings?
Reuters notes a Kut mortar attack on a police station that left three police officers wounded today and also notes a Sunday Ramadi car bombing that claimed the lives of 3 police officers (one more wounded).
Shootings?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports another attack targeting officials: "a high ranking officer who works as an inspector in the Ministry of Interior" was shot dead and his driver wounded and 4 police officer were shot dead in Mosul (with two more wounded), 4 Iraqi soldiers were shot dead in Kirkuk, 2 Iraqi soldiers were shot dead in Tikrit while 3 people were shot dead by Iraqi soldiers and, in the continued attack on educators, p.e. teacher Hamdi Al Basri ("Ali Al Hadi middle shool") was shot dead "in front of his students as they left the school". Reuters identifies the Iraqi Ministry official shot dead as Maj. Gen. Fawzi Mohammed Hussein ("senior adviser to Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani") and five people were shot dead by Iraqi Soldiers in the Salahuddin province, while Sheikh Attallah Iskandar and his driver were shot dead in Hawija.
Corpses?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 corpses discovered in Baghdad and 2 discovered in Mosul. Cara Buckley (New York Times) notes that five Iraqi soldiers were kidnapped en route to a wedding and 4 of their corpses have already turned up.
From today's violence to the eternal violence of this illegal war, National Lawyers Guild's president Marjorie Cohn (at CounterPunch) tackles the topic of Bully Boy's "agreement for a permanet U.S. military presence in Iraq" with Nouri al-Maliki, "It was never about weapons of mass destruction. It was never about ties between Saddam and al Qaeda. And it was never about bringing democrcy to the Iraqi people. These claims were lies to cover up the real motive for Operation Iraqi Freedom: to create a permanent American presence in Iraq. With Bush's November 26, 2007 announcement that the United States and Iraq were negotiating a permanent 'security relationship,' his lies have been exposed." Cohn goes on to note that the "embassy" in Baghdad's Green Zone ("self-contained city with no need for Iraqi, electricity, food or water") and Camp anaconda are examples of bases already constructed, that the American people do not support the permanent occupation nor do the Iraqis and that Al-Hayat has reported the Iraqi Parliament legally must approve any treaty. Not a surprise because Bully Boy can't do what he's doing without Congress approval -- we noted that repeatedly last week. Now whether or not Congress will stand up to him or even stand up for their Constitutional powers is open to debate.
Bully Boy seems to think they work for him. They don't. Congress and Bully Boy work for the people. After that, they and the judiciary are three equal arms of the federal government. But someone may need to break the news to Bully Boy. Debbi Wilgoren (Washington Post) reports Bully Boy has given Congress "a stern warning and a blunt to-do list." Bully Boy wants to loot the treasury by $50 billion more and allegedy wants it spent on his illegal war -- although no one's really followed the money to determine where it's all going. He's screaming that the Democrats are irresponsible. And they are irresponsible when they play into his nonsense that any of this money will go to service members stationed in Iraq. He just got "nearly $100 billion dollars in war spending" in May. Dems should be saying, "Hey, Sonny Boy, sorry you can't budget your money but you better to figure out what you need, what you're actually going to get and how to spend appropriately." On firmer ground, US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did note today, "The surge hasn't accomplished its goals. We're involved, still, in an intractable civil war." Today Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) reported that creepy, sneaky Lt. Gen. Raymond t. Odierno was apparently off his meds again, "Odierno also said the U.S. military had made headway Sunday on one major issue: persuading Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government to move more quickly to bring volunteer security workers onto Iraqi government payrolls." That Odierno thinks the military "made headway" in "persuading" a ruler (even a puppet) of another government. Think on that.
In other political news, we last noted Cynthia McKinney at the start of last month. At that point she was still determing whether or not to run for the Green Party presidential nomination for 2008. Cynthia McKinney is running. The woman elected to the US House of Representatives six times goes to Carbondale, Illionois this weekend for a Saturday December 8th stop on her "Power to the People" tour. The state primary is February 5, 2008 and, in Illinois, other Green candidates will include Jared Ball (DC), Howie Hawkins (NY) and Kent Mesplay (CA). At Catfish dinner (ten dollars a plate) will take place at Howell Baptist Church in Carbondale beginning at 12:30 pm and, prior to that, McKinney will speak at the SIUC Student Center Auditorium at 11:00 am. (A local press conference will be held at 10:30 am). More information can be found here at the Illinois Green Party.
an instant classic. you know i loved it. it was every 1 on board this weekend at the common ills. in addition to isaiah, you had "Ruth's Report" and i love ruth, of course. but was that not a not-your-socks-off report? ruth amazes me. we see each several times a week (often all 5 days during the week) but she never ceases to amaze me.
of course, she's exactly right. counterspin is a 1/2 hour program and if they want to complain that the mainstream media offers too little voices from the left, it's just whining unless they intend to offer left voices on their own program. they control that program and they decided to put on 2 guests last week - neither a lefty.
that show really has become ridiculous in my opinion. it may be able to improve at some point but it's so blah-blah-blah.
they could have an exciting show by inviting on war resisters and asking them about the problems getting coverage. but that's from big media & small media and counterspin can't call out small media. they look like hypocrites as a result.
you know, this year, we almost got to hear about the crappy coverage the media - big and small provides. a guest was in the middle of noting that when he was cut off. but imagine if he hadn't been cut off and that had been broadcast?
it might have finally reached the few holdouts who think that independent media is doing a bang up job on covering the illegal war.
peace activists are disgusted with it, war resisters are disgusted with, veterans are discussed with it. the only 1 that seems to think they're doing a bang-up job are independent media and the last hold outs.
counterspin? really bad job. as ruth points out the story should have been the mainstream journalist survey. we'd just finished her iraq study group (i was at her place, as were flyboy and our baby) and she went to turn it on while every 1 was either relaxing or leaving. there was a lot of hope that they might have something to offer. the 2nd interview was superficial but at least had a point. too bad the 1st interview sucked so bad.
as it went on and on and around and around in the center of the universe, people started saying, 'i think i'm going to go.' at the end, there were 3 people in the room - counting ruth and me. as ruth said, 'well i guess counterspin clears a room.' it certainly did friday.
she was really hoping they'd cover the survey (of 110 journalists who cover iraq for the mainstream media - it found that most reporters do not speak to iraqis - stringers get the quotes - that their bosses aren't interested in violence being covered, etc.) and thought that would be something a number of people would want to hear.
that centrist crap in the 1st interview ran every 1 out of the room except 3. before they left, they were rolling their eyes and making comments about 'what is this guy's problem?' glenn greenwald (centrist). they couldn't believe the nonsense. and remember these are largely retired people. there are a few younger women who are at home with their babies or toddlers and they come to the meetings. but most in ruth's neighborhood are older people. they couldn't believe that crap.
ruth switched it off (she listened to end because, as she said, 'this is so bad, i have to write about it') and we went to the kitchen carrying plates and cups. there was actually a sizeable crowd in there with flyboy. ruth said, 'i thought you were all leaving!' they said they just had to get away from that nonsense.
this 1 woman, who has to be close to 80 if she's not 80, said no wonder the illegal war still goes on if counterspin is what 'the young people have to inform them.' she was angry. i don't blame her.
another great thing that went up this weekend is kat's 'Kat's Korner: Ann Wilson sings and stands tall.' ann wilson's hope & glory. i love heart. i've noted them here before many times. but what a cd. ann wilson and nancy wilson have the band heart. this is ann's 1st solo album and boy is she making it memorable. you gotta hear the voice. and look at what she chose to sing. she's making a statement against the war. ann wilson has more guts than bono. she has more guts than most of the little twerps and old geezers out there who are too cowardly to address the iraq war.
ann wilson is amazing.
c.i. passed on this from australia's herald sun:
RADICAL Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr overnight blasted US President George W. Bush for signing a deal with Baghdad that ensures a long-term American military presence in Iraq.
"I say this to the evil Bush - leave my country," Sadr said in the Shiite holy city of Najaf.
"We do not need you and your army of darkness," he said.
"We don't need your planes and tanks. We don't need your policy and your interference. We don't want your democracy and fake freedom. Get out of our land."
Sadr's salvo comes a week after the US president and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced a deal ensuring a long-term presence of US forces in the country.
sadr calling out the bully boy. now why isn't that surprising?
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Monday, December 3, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, Bully Boy tries to Bully Congress, the BBC can't break their habit of lying about the Iraqi refugees, Cynthia McKinney launches her "Power to the People" tour and more.
Starting with war resistance. Dear Camilo (Querido Camilo) is a documentary about Iraq War resister Camilo Mejia who is also the chair of Iraq Veterans Against the War. On Sunday, Prensa Latina reported that in Guatemala, at the Tenth Icaro Central American Film and Video Festival, Querido Camilo "won the first prize" -- "The film tells the story of Camilo Mejia, who refused to serve in the US Army to attack the Iraqi people". The documentary is about Mejia. Camilo Mejia tells his own story in Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejia (published last May by the New Press). Turning from Mejia to the issue of war resisters who went to Canada, last month Canada's Supreme Court refused to hear the appeals of US war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. What now? "With their legal avenues pretty well exhausted, that's absolutely the right direction to take -- lobbying for change to the law to allow resisters to apply for landed-immigrant status." That's Vancouver East New Democratic Party MP Libby Davies speaking to Andy Ivens (Canda's The Province). US war resister Brad McCall tells Ivens what he'd say to the Canadian government: "Take us in. Do what Canada used to do in '70s. Be a haven from militarism." If that doesn't happen, 20-year-old McCall and others will be have to figure out another course of action.
Cindy Sheehan (OpEdNews) urges people to utilize Courage to Resist's easy to mail or e-mail resources to allow the Canadian government to know you are watching and to support organizations supporting war resisters as well as supporting war resisters:
Support actual war resisters in Canada by sending them expense money. From my friend Ryan (I gave him and his wife money to get to Canada over two years ago):
In light of the recent Supreme Court denial in Canada, I (Ryan Johnson), My wife (Jen Johnson) and Brandon Hughey need help raising funds to travel to Ottawa to attend hearings before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where War Resisters will be giving Testimony to the committee. At these hearings the committee will be deciding on whether or not to make a provision to allow war resisters to stay in Canada. This is one of our last chances to be able to continue living in Canada. We will be leaving December 7th because the hearings are December 11th, 2007 so we need to act fast. They may try to send guys back soon and we need to have a strong War Resister Presence. We appreciate all of the support and Want to thank all of you who can help.
Checks/money orders can be sent for Ryan, Jen and Brandon to:312 Tower Rd Nelson, BC V1L3K6
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
The voice of war resister Camilo Mejia is featured in Rebel Voices -- playing now through December 16th at Culture Project and based on Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's best-selling book Voices of a People's History of the United States. It features dramatic readings of historical voices such as war resister Mejia, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Malcom X and others will be featured. Musician Allison Mooerer will head the permanent cast while those confirmed to be performing on selected nights are Ally Sheedy (actress and poet, best known for films such as High Art, The Breakfast Club, Maid to Order, the two Short Circuit films, St. Elmo's Fire, War Games, and, along with Nicky Katt, has good buzz on the forthcoming Harold), Eve Ensler who wrote the theater classic The Vagina Monologues (no, it's not too soon to call that a classic), actor David Strathaim (L.A. Confidential, The Firm, Bob Roberts, Dolores Claiborne and The Bourne Ultimatum), actor and playwright Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, Clueless -- film and TV series, Gregory and Chicken Little), actress Lili Taylor (Dogfight, Shortcuts, Say Anything, Household Saints, I Shot Andy Warhol, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, State of Mind) and actor, director and activist Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Beloved, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Rainmaker, Places In The Heart, Dreamgirls, Shooter and who recently appeared on Democracy Now! addressing the US militarization of Africa) The directors are Will Pomerantz and Rob Urbinati with Urbinati collaborating with Zinn and Arnove on the play. Tickets are $21 for previews and $41 for regular performances (beginning with the Nov. 18th opening night). The theater is located at 55 Mercer Street and tickets can be purchased there, over the phone (212-352-3101) or online here and here. More information can be found at Culture Project.
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
Turning to the myth of the Great Return. It wasn't enough for the BBC to FLAT OUT LIE in November about the myth so today they're back to lie some more: "The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, estimates that about 45,000 Iraqis returned from Syria in October -- the first month of the schol year." Really? Because I'm on the phone asking a friend at the United Nations about that claim and his reply is a little too 'strong' to make the snapshot. Is it too much for the BBC to check their damn facts or are they too interested in lying repeatedly on this topic? November 23rd (ten days ago), UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis stated, "We cannot confirm reports that 46,000 Iraqis returned from Syria in October." That UNHCR release contains the same figures the BBC will use in the next paragraph but somehow they see "cannot confirm" and turn it into the UNHCR "estimates". They have made no such estimation and the BBC needs to stop LYING. The 45,000 figure is the number coming from the puppet government in Baghdad. Repeating, It is not from the United Nations. The UN does estimate that currently 1,500 Iraqis may be coming back from Syria each day but THEY ALSO estimate that 500 Iraqis are entering Syria each day. That would be 1,000 a day. The UNHCR has made no estimate for October. Before we go any futher, let's all remember what John Pilger (New Statesman) recently reminded us all of, "A European study found that, of the major western television networks, the BBC permitted less coverage of dissent than all of them. A second study found that the BBC consistently gave credence to government propaganda that weapons of mass destruction existed." At the New York Times, Damien Cave has covered the myth of the "Great Return" most in depth; however, Cara Buckley has also filed on the topic. Today, she reports on -- pay attention BBC -- actual figures: 25,000. That is the estimate of the Iraqi Red Crescent. 25,000 returned in October! No. 25,000 Iraqis have returned "from Syria since mid-September."
B-b-b-but, BBC is using the 45,000 figure and using it for just one month! Yes, they are. It's the Iraqi government's figure. We've been over and over this since CBS first reported the myth of the great return claiming that 15,000 had returned and then, mere days later, the puppet government began insisting (probably because so few called out the 15,000) that 45,000 had returned in one month alone! (The month of October.) Buckley notes three factors (according to the IRC): (1) reports of a 'widespread drop in violence'; (2) running out of funds and (3) "visa restrictions". As reports by Cave and Michael Gordon & Stephen Farrell have noted, Buckley notes the monies paid to the bused in refugees: US equivalent of $811 ("roughly enough for four months rent in a middle-class Baghdad neighborhood," Buckley explains). Did you catch that by the way? When noting those who've attempted to report the truth on this topic we even have to credit Michael Gordon. We don't have to credit independent media because indepdent media hasn't done ____. They've ignored it or repeated the false claims. Gordo we have called out here (and will do so again) but let's not kid that independent media can hop on a high horse when they've refused to call the nonsense of the 'Great Return' out. ("Independent media" = broadcast and print. I'm not referring to websites or organizations. I'm referring to our 'traditional' independent media which -- if you missed it -- can't make time for most Iraq related topics today.) As Ruth noted Saturday: "When you consider that the lies of the "Great Return" work both domestically (lulling U.S. news consumers into the belief that Iraq is now 'safe') and internationally (lulling refugees into believing they need to consider returning), it is appalling that independent media has refused to call the lies out." Indeed. We could and should also include Amit R. Paley (Washington Post) for noting last month that the claims by the Iraqi government of 46,030 returnees in October was "counter to the overall trend detailed in a recent report by the Iraqi Red Crsecent". If you're late to the party, see the November 3rd snapshot when the issue of the ever changing numbers is noted. Robert Parry (Consortium News) is someone I hate to think of as "independent media" because he's not found twiddling his thumbs. Label him how you want (bravery in exile?) but Parry did cover the topic last month.
On Sunday, Damien Cave (New York Times) reported on the increasing prices on Iraq's blackmarket and noted, "Corruption and theft are not new to Iraq, and government officials have promised to address the problem. But as Iraqis and American officials asses the effects of this year's American troop increase, there is a growing sense that, even as security has improved, Iraq has slipped to new depths of lawlessness." Apparently the puppet agrees. Cara Buckley (New York Times) reports puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement today that noted, "We inherited the corruption from previous regimes, and in this new era, the administrative and financial corruption is still going on." Buckley notes this appears to be a reference to Saddam Hussein; however, the term is "previous regimes" -- plural. That means he was most likely addressing those who held the office of prime minister right before him, Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Iyad Allawi (Allawi served two terms). Buckley tells you al-Maliki has said next year will be an attack on corruption and "a war on those ignorant and lazy people" -- presumably he has given himself an exception to avoid being placed in the latter category.
On Saturday Al Jazeera reported that the Turkish government announced their military had "entered northern Iraq and launched attacks on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters". By Sunday, Sabrina Tavernise and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) would report the usual response from Iraq (no attacks took place) and, pay attention here, they'd quote Haval Zagros explaining that PKK bases in Iraq had not been struck by the Turkish military -- in fact, he'd word it as "none of our bases". Our? Haval Zagros is the PKK's designated spokesperson. Though the article is supposed to tell you that no attack may have happened, of far greater interest is the fact that the PKK, via their own spokesperson, announced that they have bases in Iraq -- something the northern Iraq region's government has denied.
Over the weekend, the Iraqi Parliament saw another walkout. To grasp the boycott . . .
On Thursday, car bombs were said to be discovered in the compound of a member of the Iraqi parliament. On Friday, the member was under house arrest and his protection forces and his son were carted away. A spokesperson for him denied Friday that the bomb or bombs were discovered inside the compound and stated Adnan al-Dulaimi was innocent. Sunday, Tavernise and Farrell report that the "the largest Sunni Arab bloc, the Iraqi Consensus Front, walked out of Parliament to protest what it described as a move by Iraqi security forces to place its leader, Adnan al-Dulaimi, under house arrest." The basic press narrative that emerged was "maybe Adnan al-Dulaimi was under house arrest and maybe he wasn't and the (puppet) government says . . ." Not interested in jotting down official statements, Ali al-Fadhily (IPS) sought out opinions on the house arrest. One of the man's sons explained to al-Fahily, "My father is detained in our house and my brother Makki is being tortured so that he gives any information that could lead to convicting my father." An Iraqi resistance fighter tells al-Fadhily, "The poor old guy sacrified his faith and reputation for a cheap chair in the parliament and now they are throwing him into the garbage can like used Kleenex tissue. We always advised him that the Islamic Party and the Shi'ite Coalition would definitely get rid of him as soon as he is no more needed, but he listened to his pocket more than listening to the voices of reason." Last Sunday, Reuters reported that Adnan al-Dulaimi is no longer confined to his home but has been taken (by the "National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie") to a hotel in the Green Zone and quoted al-Dulaimi announcing, "Since this house arrest has been lifted, the Accordance Front will return to sessions of parliament."
By late Sunday the weekend total of reported deaths had reached at least 78. This total included Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reporting "at least 20 people" were shot dead in the Diayla province on Saturday (and notes the recent attacks mass attacks in Diyal including a bombing that claimed the lives of 7 people, another that left five Iraqis and seven US service members wounded and a November 18th bombing that claimed the lives of 3 US service members) and Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reporting: "Sunday afternoon, three princes of Al-Qaeda proposed to three women in Al-Bu Aziz village of Dali Abass (30 km north of Baquba) .The princes beheaded the three women after they refused the proposal."
Bombings?
Reuters notes a Kut mortar attack on a police station that left three police officers wounded today and also notes a Sunday Ramadi car bombing that claimed the lives of 3 police officers (one more wounded).
Shootings?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports another attack targeting officials: "a high ranking officer who works as an inspector in the Ministry of Interior" was shot dead and his driver wounded and 4 police officer were shot dead in Mosul (with two more wounded), 4 Iraqi soldiers were shot dead in Kirkuk, 2 Iraqi soldiers were shot dead in Tikrit while 3 people were shot dead by Iraqi soldiers and, in the continued attack on educators, p.e. teacher Hamdi Al Basri ("Ali Al Hadi middle shool") was shot dead "in front of his students as they left the school". Reuters identifies the Iraqi Ministry official shot dead as Maj. Gen. Fawzi Mohammed Hussein ("senior adviser to Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani") and five people were shot dead by Iraqi Soldiers in the Salahuddin province, while Sheikh Attallah Iskandar and his driver were shot dead in Hawija.
Corpses?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 corpses discovered in Baghdad and 2 discovered in Mosul. Cara Buckley (New York Times) notes that five Iraqi soldiers were kidnapped en route to a wedding and 4 of their corpses have already turned up.
From today's violence to the eternal violence of this illegal war, National Lawyers Guild's president Marjorie Cohn (at CounterPunch) tackles the topic of Bully Boy's "agreement for a permanet U.S. military presence in Iraq" with Nouri al-Maliki, "It was never about weapons of mass destruction. It was never about ties between Saddam and al Qaeda. And it was never about bringing democrcy to the Iraqi people. These claims were lies to cover up the real motive for Operation Iraqi Freedom: to create a permanent American presence in Iraq. With Bush's November 26, 2007 announcement that the United States and Iraq were negotiating a permanent 'security relationship,' his lies have been exposed." Cohn goes on to note that the "embassy" in Baghdad's Green Zone ("self-contained city with no need for Iraqi, electricity, food or water") and Camp anaconda are examples of bases already constructed, that the American people do not support the permanent occupation nor do the Iraqis and that Al-Hayat has reported the Iraqi Parliament legally must approve any treaty. Not a surprise because Bully Boy can't do what he's doing without Congress approval -- we noted that repeatedly last week. Now whether or not Congress will stand up to him or even stand up for their Constitutional powers is open to debate.
Bully Boy seems to think they work for him. They don't. Congress and Bully Boy work for the people. After that, they and the judiciary are three equal arms of the federal government. But someone may need to break the news to Bully Boy. Debbi Wilgoren (Washington Post) reports Bully Boy has given Congress "a stern warning and a blunt to-do list." Bully Boy wants to loot the treasury by $50 billion more and allegedy wants it spent on his illegal war -- although no one's really followed the money to determine where it's all going. He's screaming that the Democrats are irresponsible. And they are irresponsible when they play into his nonsense that any of this money will go to service members stationed in Iraq. He just got "nearly $100 billion dollars in war spending" in May. Dems should be saying, "Hey, Sonny Boy, sorry you can't budget your money but you better to figure out what you need, what you're actually going to get and how to spend appropriately." On firmer ground, US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did note today, "The surge hasn't accomplished its goals. We're involved, still, in an intractable civil war." Today Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) reported that creepy, sneaky Lt. Gen. Raymond t. Odierno was apparently off his meds again, "Odierno also said the U.S. military had made headway Sunday on one major issue: persuading Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government to move more quickly to bring volunteer security workers onto Iraqi government payrolls." That Odierno thinks the military "made headway" in "persuading" a ruler (even a puppet) of another government. Think on that.
In other political news, we last noted Cynthia McKinney at the start of last month. At that point she was still determing whether or not to run for the Green Party presidential nomination for 2008. Cynthia McKinney is running. The woman elected to the US House of Representatives six times goes to Carbondale, Illionois this weekend for a Saturday December 8th stop on her "Power to the People" tour. The state primary is February 5, 2008 and, in Illinois, other Green candidates will include Jared Ball (DC), Howie Hawkins (NY) and Kent Mesplay (CA). At Catfish dinner (ten dollars a plate) will take place at Howell Baptist Church in Carbondale beginning at 12:30 pm and, prior to that, McKinney will speak at the SIUC Student Center Auditorium at 11:00 am. (A local press conference will be held at 10:30 am). More information can be found here at the Illinois Green Party.
11/30/2007
hillary, the nation
we'd just finished speaking today on 1 campus when we heard the news about the hillary clinton new hampshire campaign office. c.i. went back and forth at that point about whether it would be in the snapshot but when the snapshot was dictated, it was an ongoing story, so i said i'd grab it.
stephen braun and michael muskal of the los angeles times appear to have the best report. they note that many details are unknown or in conflict (including the man's name) while other outlets (including the new york times) are making claims that may turn out to be true but aren't identified as sourced and may or may not be true. a man walked into hillary clinton's campaign office in rochester, new hamsphire, announced he had a bomb (he had either explosives or flares taped to him) and announced he wanted to speak to hillary. from braun and muskal's article:
There was no motive given for the incident. The man had demanded to speak with Clinton, who was in Washington.
At least five people were released from the red-brick building during the day, according to television footage from the scene.
i think l.a. times does the best job but i'll also provide a link to the independent of london. that's 3 links. those are the 3 best 1s i have found so far (i'm now up to 21 stories read). of the 3, i would again recommend the l.a. times as your 1st choice.
henry hyde died. if you're looking for some reality on that hideous man, you can check out robert parry's 'Henry Hyde: Mr. Cover-up' (consortium news):
Official Washington is remembering the late Rep. Henry Hyde fondly, recalling the Illinois Republican as a well-respected "pro-life" advocate who held President Bill Clinton accountable for lying about a sexual dalliance with Monica Lewinsky.
But there was another side to Hyde, who died Nov. 29 at the age of 83. As a senior member of national security oversight committees, Hyde helped cover up criminal and political wrongdoing by the Reagan-Bush administrations in the 1980s and early 1990s.
In August 1986, for instance, Hyde was one of the ranking members of the House Intelligence Committee who trooped down to the White House to question National Security Council aide Oliver North about press accounts linking him to a secret operation to supply the Nicaraguan contra rebels in defiance of the law.
After North and his boss, John Poindexter, denied the allegations, Hyde joined Rep. Dick Cheney, R-Wyoming, and committee chairman, Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Indiana, in rejecting a bill that would have authorized a formal investigation.
Later that day, since I had co-authored an Associated Press story citing 24 sources about North's secret network, one of Hamilton's aides contacted me to say that the committee had sided with the "honorable men" at the White House over our 24 sources.
"It wasn't a close call," the aide added.
It was, however, an erroneous call.
Two months later, on Oct. 5, 1986, one of North's contra supply planes was shot down over Nicaragua, and the following month, the Iran-Contra operation, which involved using profits from secret arms sales to Iran to help finance the contras, was revealed.
In early 1987, however, Hyde re-joined Cheney and Hamilton on the congressional Iran-Contra committee, where the three congressmen again sought to narrow the investigation and minimize what had happened.
Hyde and Cheney led the charge in defense of President Reagan, while Hamilton engineered immunity for Oliver North and bought into the cover story that Iran-Contra was mostly a rogue operation.
However, the more serious Iran-Contra investigation led by Republican special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh eventually broke through the rogue-operation cover story and also discovered that the chronology of the covert Iran arms shipments kept stretching back to the early 1980s.
Indeed, a growing body of evidence indicated that the secret contacts between the Reagan team and the Iranians dated back to Campaign 1980 when President Jimmy Carter was desperately trying to free 52 American hostages then held in Iran -- and witnesses claimed Republican operatives were trying to sabotage Carter's efforts.
Since this controversy centered on alleged Reagan-Bush attempts to block Carter's pre-election release of the hostages, it became known as the "October Surprise" case, but it also could be viewed as the prequel to Iran-Contra. [For the fullest account of the October Surprise case, see Robert Parry’s Secrecy & Privilege.]
that's the opening of the article, there is a lot to cover when it comes to hyde and parry is 1 of the most qualified to do so.
the election. is any 1 else sick of john nichols and ari berman and their non-stop attacks on hillary while they hump the leg of obama's pants? obama isn't going to stop the war and they continue to lie to readers about that. it's a lie. that's all it is. he is a triangulator and he learned it in the d.l.c. he only left them when it became public embarrassing (during his 2004 senate run, he was included on their list and had his name removed - he was d.l.c. bruce dixon and glen ford established this.)
i don't like hillary. but i'm not going to LIE to people in order to defeat her. the nation has pimped obama like crazy. he is a joke. he has gotten the kids' glove treatment. he is not against the illegal war. he thought, in 2002, it was 'dumb.' by 2004, he was saying the u.s. could not leave iraq (shocking elaine and c.i. who were prepared to write checks for the maximum donation until they heard that crap from his own mouth). by the time he was interviewed by the new york times right before he gave his d.n.c. speech, he was telling them he didn't know how he would have voted if he'd been in the senate.
all the nation offers is a personal grudge f**k against hillary. they refuse to apply the same standard to hillary that they do to barack. but he's council for foreign relations like katrina vanden heuvel. he's sammy power backed. and they're going to toss in their lot with him, article after article.
they're going to lie to readers over and over because the most important thing to them is eliminating hillary clinton, not ending the illegal war.
it's a real shame the nation has to lie so much.
paul krugman is not a radical. he's way to the right of me. and yet paul krugman offers truth about obama, something the trashbag nation magazine won't do.
no 1 who reads me thinks i'm a fan of hillary. i'm not. i'm not supporting her. but i do support basic fairness. the nation seems to have trashed fairness along with honesty. but they'll call it a 'win' if they can tear hillary apart even though they're cheerleading her siamese twin.
this is from krugman's 'Mandates and Mudslinging' (the new york times via truthout):
The fundamental weakness of the Obama plan was apparent from the beginning. Still, as I said, advocates of health care reform were willing to cut Mr. Obama some slack.
But now Mr. Obama, who just two weeks ago was telling audiences that his plan was essentially identical to the Edwards and Clinton plans, is attacking his rivals and claiming that his plan is superior. It isn't - and his attacks amount to cheap shots.
First, Mr. Obama claims that his plan does much more to control costs than his rivals' plans. In fact, all three plans include impressive cost control measures.
Second, Mr. Obama claims that mandates won't work, pointing out that many people don't have car insurance despite state requirements that all drivers be insured. Um, is he saying that states shouldn't require that drivers have insurance? If not, what's his point?
Look, law enforcement is sometimes imperfect. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have laws.
Third, and most troubling, Mr. Obama accuses his rivals of not explaining how they would enforce mandates, and suggests that the mandate would require some kind of nasty, punitive enforcement: "Their essential argument," he says, "is the only way to get everybody covered is if the government forces you to buy health insurance. If you don't buy it, then you'll be penalized in some way."
Well, John Edwards has just called Mr. Obama's bluff, by proposing that individuals be required to show proof of insurance when filing income taxes or receiving health care. If they don't have insurance, they won't be penalized - they'll be automatically enrolled in an insurance plan.
That's actually a terrific idea - not only would it prevent people from gaming the system, it would have the side benefit of enrolling people who qualify for S-chip and other government programs, but don't know it.
Mr. Obama, then, is wrong on policy. Worse yet, the words he uses to defend his position make him sound like Rudy Giuliani inveighing against "socialized medicine": he doesn't want the government to "force" people to have insurance, to "penalize" people who don't participate.
I recently castigated Mr. Obama for adopting right-wing talking points about a Social Security "crisis." Now he's echoing right-wing talking points on health care.
get it? obama's lying. and he can get away with it because liars & cowards at the nation magazine assist him.
he's got no record, he's got no experience. but the trashy nation magazine is willing to lie for him, to cover for him. that's not the role of the press. even an opinion journal should be embarrassed. the man has put homophobes onstage at his rallies and allowed them to express their homophobia. at what point does the left wake the hell up and say, 'no more!'
apparently it doesn't wake up for some time. apparently, katrina vanden heuvel's tingles in the crotch over obama are more important than reality. buy a vibrator, dear.
the nation is an alleged independent magazine and the saddest thing after their refusal to address the iraq war seriously has to be their willingness to turn themselves into a democratic party organ.
and how damn greedy is katrina vanden heuvel? we all know that her grubby family fought to refuse to pay estate taxes. but the supreme court said, 'no, pay the damn taxes.' now she's boasting about the nation running a profit for the first time in it's 100 plus year history. that's something to be proud of? for over 100 years (nearly 150), the magazine has put something at the forefront, the need to tell the truth. these days, money grubber katrina just wants the cash.
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Friday, November 30, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, a mass kidnapping is reported, the peace movement is not election central (get the message out), and more.
Last Saturday, Lawrence Hill (Ottawa Citizen) reminded (1) "the Anglo-American attack on Iraq in 2003 was an offensive -- not a retaliatory -- strike. The war had no approval from the UN Security Council, and for this reason Canada's prime minister of the day, Jean Chretien, refused to support it. In 2004, then-UN secretary general Kofi Annan declared explicilty that the U.S.-led war on Iraq was illegal" and (2) "according to official UN policy, soldiers who are likely to be punished for having deserted military action 'condemned by the international legal community as contrary to rules of human conduct' should be eligible for refugee status." Hill is co-author with Joshua Key of the book The Deserter's Tale and the refusal of Canada's Supreme Court to hear the appeals of US war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey makes it necessary to review those basics. Nikolai Lanine (Rabble News) observes, "We did betray them, after all. As a veteran of an illegal war, I feared Canada would do this. But I'd hoped otherwise." Lanine goes on to note that it wasn't just US war resisters during Vietnam being granted asylum, "November 26, 1986, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario welcomed five Soviet war objectors from Afghanistan. The Assembly described them as 'heroic individuals' and 'conscientious objectors in refusing to be partners in crime.'"
Cindy Sheehan (OpEdNews) urges people to utilize Courage to Resist's easy to mail or e-mail resources to allow the Canadian government to know you are watching and to support organizations supporting war resisters as well as supporting war resisters:
Support actual war resisters in Canada by sending them expense money. From my friend Ryan (I gave him and his wife money to get to Canada over two years ago):
In light of the recent Supreme Court denial in Canada, I (Ryan Johnson), My wife (Jen Johnson) and Brandon Hughey need help raising funds to travel to Ottawa to attend hearings before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where War Resisters will be giving Testimony to the committee. At these hearings the committee will be deciding on whether or not to make a provision to allow war resisters to stay in Canada. This is one of our last chances to be able to continue living in Canada. We will be leaving December 7th because the hearings are December 11th, 2007 so we need to act fast. They may try to send guys back soon and we need to have a strong War Resister Presence. We appreciate all of the support and Want to thank all of you who can help.
Checks/money orders can be sent for Ryan, Jen and Brandon to:312 Tower Rd Nelson, BC V1L3K6
If you are in Canada, you can utilize the contact info at War Resisters Support Campaign to let members of the Canadian Parliament know you support legislation allowing war resisters to stay in Canada. If you are in the United States (or elsewhere), you can utilize the contact info and/or forum at Courage to Resist. Public outcry didn't stop the illegal war from starting and public opposition has yet to end it. War resisters in Canada who have gone public are putting a great deal on the line. Use the links to show your support for them.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
The voice of war resister Camilo Mejia is featured in Rebel Voices -- playing now through December 16th at Culture Project and based on Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's best-selling book Voices of a People's History of the United States. It features dramatic readings of historical voices such as war resister Mejia, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Malcom X and others will be featured. Musician Allison Mooerer will head the permanent cast while those confirmed to be performing on selected nights are Ally Sheedy (actress and poet, best known for films such as High Art, The Breakfast Club, Maid to Order, the two Short Circuit films, St. Elmo's Fire, War Games, and, along with Nicky Katt, has good buzz on the forthcoming Harold), Eve Ensler who wrote the theater classic The Vagina Monologues (no, it's not too soon to call that a classic), actor David Strathaim (L.A. Confidential, The Firm, Bob Roberts, Dolores Claiborne and The Bourne Ultimatum), actor and playwright Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, Clueless -- film and TV series, Gregory and Chicken Little), actress Lili Taylor (Dogfight, Shortcuts, Say Anything, Household Saints, I Shot Andy Warhol, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, State of Mind) and actor, director and activist Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Beloved, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Rainmaker, Places In The Heart, Dreamgirls, Shooter and who recently appeared on Democracy Now! addressing the US militarization of Africa) The directors are Will Pomerantz and Rob Urbinati with Urbinati collaborating with Zinn and Arnove on the play. Tickets are $21 for previews and $41 for regular performances (beginning with the Nov. 18th opening night). The theater is located at 55 Mercer Street and tickets can be purchased there, over the phone (212-352-3101) or online here and here. More information can be found at Culture Project.
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
"The war in Iraq is not covered to its potential because of how dangerous it is for reporters to cover it. That's left a lot of misconceptions in the minds of the American public about what the true nature of military occupation looks like," declares IVAW's Liam Madden to Aaron Glantz in Glantz' report on the upcoming Winter Soldiers Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation (OneWorld). Madden is correct and only more so this week as a result of Project for Excellence in Journalism's report (PDF format here, our summary Wendesday here). This survey of 111 US journalists (mainstream media) who have covered Iraq found that "they do not believe the coverage of Iraq over time has been too negative. If anything, many believe the sitatuion over the course of the war has been worse than the American public has perceived, according to a new survey of journalists covering the war from Iraq." The report also found that 63% of the respondents stated "that Iraqi staffers do all or most of the street reporting outside the Green Zone." Madden tells Glantz, "This is our generation getting to tell history to ensure that the actual history gets told -- that it's not a sugar-coated, diluted version of what actually happened."
Turning to Iraq. Yesterday's snapshot included this: "Reuters reports 2 car bombs were found ('and detonated') 'in the Baghdad office complex of the leader of the country's main Sunni Arab bloc' -- Adnan al-Dulaimi." Waleed Ibrahim and Alaa Shahine (Reuters) reported this morning on the arrests of "dozens of people, including the son of a leading Sunni Arab politicians" with 7 arrested at al-Dulaimi's office Thursday and 29 arrested at Dualaimi's home Friday morning (Mekki Adnan al-Dulaimi was arrested at his father's home with the twenty-eight others). Robert H. Reid (AP) reports that, in the house arrests, "Iraqi security forces surrounded the house, a move the U.S. said was for the elder al-Dulaimi's personal safety. Al-Dulaimi complained that he was under virtual house arrest" and quotes the Sunni politician declaring, "I will wait until Saturday morning and if the ban of my family continues, then I will consider the government's measure as a house arrest." BBC notes that Adnan al-Dulaimi states that car with the bomb "was not in the compound" and quotes Crispin Thorold who contributes that the incident will likely "increase tensions between the main Sunni Arab political bloc and supporters of the Shia Prime Minister, Nouri Maliki." Gee, you think? And al-Dulaimi is thought to have organized the minister walk out in August (walking out of al-Maliki's cabinet). Think that doesn't matter? Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) reports today that there have been "17 ministries vacant for months." Rubin also notes the Thursday boycott in the Iraq Parliament over al-Maliki attempting to appoint ministers without input and to alter the Constitutional rules regarding the need for a quorum as well as the puzzler re: the arrests: "It is hard to understand why Mr. Dulaimi's guards might want to kill fellow Sunnis in the Awakening Council" and quotes an unnamed military official who declares "that it was impossible to rule out that an enemy of Mr. Dulaimi might have been trying to frame him." CNN reports "Slowing death rate in Iraq encourages Pentagon." Maybe that's why the Pentagon's been doing Multi-National Force's job. In the last few days, MNF has announced only one death. MNF's job is to announce the dead. The Defense Department puts names to them publicly after the families have been informed. Allen C. Roberts and John J. Tobiason deaths received no announcement from MNF.
Something that received lots of announcements was the mythic "Great Return." Michael Gordon and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) report: "As if to underscore Mr. Maliki's point, 375 Iraqi refugees arrived Thursday in a convoy of buses from Damascus, Syria, escorted by heavily armed policemen. After the lengthy journey, the tired Iraqis were ushered into the white marble affluence of the Mansour Melia Hotel in Baghdad to receive a promised government payout to people returning to the capital."
Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad mortar attack left two people wounded and Hibhib mortar attack claimed 3 lives and left two people wounded while yesterday a car bombing in Al Shirqat claimed the lives of 4 police officer. Reuters notes a bomber in Dhuluwiya killed himself and 1 Iraqi police captin while wounded two more police officers and a mortar attack outside Kirkuk that left two children injured.
Shootings?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 people dead in an Al Khalis attack on five vehicles containing "members of Iraqi military and police" with thirty then kidnapped. Reuters notes that "a restaurant owner" was shot dead in Kirkuk.
Corpses?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 3 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
Okay, we're throwing in programming here. RadioNation with Laura Flanders is a new broadcast and features US House Rep and 2008 Democratic presidential contender Dennis Kucinch. Kucinich and not, as I wrongly stated earlier in the week, the legal panel. (Those wanting to hear the legal panel can go to the Flanders archives.) In addition, Australia's election will be covered (John Howard out, Kevin Rudd in), Sue Dinsdale and Ari Berman will talk about the Iowa primaries in terms of the illegal war, Parvez Sharma (director of the documentary film A Jihad for Love) and Rev. Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping explaining the "Christmas Shopocalypse." Laura Flanders' program airs Sundays from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST over the airwaves on Air America Radio, on XM satellite radio and streams online. That's radio on Sunday. Tonight (Friday), PBS' Bill Moyers Journal begins airing their latest installment which will explore the Middle East and featuring Ron Sider and M.J. Rosenberg as guests with a report about Christians United for Israel. Remember that the program's website includes a blog and you can leave comments and questions there. In most markets, Bill Moyers Journal will be airing tonight; however, some markets have started their pledge drive and the show may be interrupted or rescheduled. In addition to checking your local TV listings, you can remember that Bill Moyers Journal shares with Democracy Now! the fact that it is online and it is watch, listen or read. Welcoming to all. And with the number of wounded returning from Iraq, you'd think more programs would elect to go with that option. That has happened but the Journal and DN! are accessible to all. Lastly, David Bacon's "What a Vote for Free Trade Means" (San Francisco Chronicle) details the realities that it's not just Iraq on which the shift in power in Congress (from Republican to Democratic control) hasn't produced the needed results. Bacon's not just one of the last reporters in the country covering the labor beat, he also takes news photographs that are actually art and you can see some of his photos addressing immigration by clicking here.
Turning to US politics. Tom Hayden has an article [Warning] at The Nation. What's the point of it? 527s aren't independent and let's not lie and pretend they are. Although he's realized that Barack Obama's New York Times chat was more revealing in transcript than write up, he's still creating false lines between Hillary Clinton and Obama that portray Obama in a flattering light. (For reality in the comparison, see Paul Krugman in this morning's New York Times via Truthout.) He places a lot of faith in MoveOn. We usually call them "WalkOn" here but, to their credit, they didn't back down even when condemned by some in the Senate. Maybe MoveOn has a spine? It's more than possible and, if so, good for them. But MoveOn appears in this sentence explaining where the peace movement can focus in the fall of 2008: "House and Senate races. It is perhaps here that groups like MoveOn and Progressive Democrats of America can have the greatest effect, by bolstering the numbers of antiwar senators and representatives who favor terminating the war in 2009. Think: Senator Al Franken."
Now Greens will be offended by the article and many Dems and many others and if that needs to be addressed, I'll carry it over to a column in a community newsletter. Let's instead focus (and this will go to a larger point) on one aspect of that. "Senator Al Franken" who apparently favors "terminating the war in 2009." Franken was pro-illegal war before it started, pro-illegal war while hosting his hideous radio show on Air America Radio and only recently came out against the illegal war. In that kind-of manner he's famous for (give five minutes in a speech to sobs over veterans care and then, having hidden behind that, do a quick line about how you oppose the illegal war, then move quickly on). What the hell is Al Franken doing in that column?
Al Franken DOES NOT CALL for an end to the illegal war in 2009. That's from his campaign staff who steered me to this page at Al Franken's website. "Immediately beginning the process of bringing the troops home. Our withdrawal should not be precipitous . . ." Click on the link to read in full (that link provided only because I'm friends with the person who steered me to it.) So that's wrong. Al Franken's remarks are no different than Hillary Clinton's -- whom Tom Hayden calls out (while glossing over Obama's flaws). So that's wrong. How wrong is it for Tom Hayden to ignore an ongoing race? Al Franken is not the nominee for the US Senate by the Democratic Party. He is someone running for the nomination. Jack Nelson-Pallymeyer is whom students on campuses are excited about in that state -- students wanting to end the illegal war. Nelson-Pallmeyer is calling for an end to the illegal war. The sort of end that Hayden himself favors. So the question here is if we don't support the candidates who believe as we do, what kind of people are we? I'm not calling Tom a hypocrite. I am saying he doesn't know the Minnesota race and, as someone who struggled in his original races (both the losing one and the first victory), I am surprised that he's calling a "win" in a primary that won't be 'closed' (short of other candidates dropping out*) until "The Tuesday of Destiny" (February 5, 2008). That same sort of declaration/awarding can be found in: "Voting for Kucinich, Richardson or Gravel is a legitimate choice but not a nominee." Your choice is legitimate, Kucinich, Richardson or Gravel supporters; however, get with the program. I remember damn well the negative circulars put out by Tunney's campaign. I'm guessing someone has forgotten those days. But in 1976, Hayden's opponent didn't think Hayden made for "a nominee." So it's really surprising to see someone who's been through it himself attempt to call an ongoing race. *Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is not the only other person running for the nomination. I'm mentioning him because Minneapolis students are passionate on the need to elect him. Repeated trips to that state have revealed an enthusiasm for him that is not in place for Franken. He may or may not win the race. But there's really no reason for The Nation to be promoting an open race as if there's only one candidate.
And that's the problem with the article. It's most obvious with regards to the Senate race. But it's there in terms of the presidency. Here's a thought for the peace movement (Hayden is a part of the peace movement), how about we stop wasting our time on elections? How about we start using that time to instead talk about ending the illegal war? (There's a second aspect to that but it's a piece this Sunday at The Third Estate Sunday Review.) Tom Hayden honestly wants to end the illegal war. That's not a pose with him, it's not a con, he truly wants to end the illegal war and wants that deeper in his soul than many other people. But here's why all this election talk is seen as nonsense by many students in today's peace movement: It starts with "Vote for whomever but we're only covering the front runners." Then it becomes "Use your voice however you want but that's not really a worthy nominee." And now it's to the point that a state race, not a national one, is being called when the state won't be holding its primary until February 5, 2008. At what point does it end? Will it filter down to municipal races? And if state candidates who support everything that is in Hayden's latest book (Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer does) aren't even noted while their opponent is not only noted but is misrepresented in the article (in a favorable light), what does that really say about the state of the peace movement?
I'm not endorsing Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer or anyone (other than Cindy Sheehan) but it is troublesome that the author of 2001's School of Assassins: Guns, Greed and Globalization can't get a 'shout out' or a 'hey-hey' from the very people who believe in the same global issues. And, here's the thing to pay attention to, young people in that state are working very hard on his campaign. The same way Hayden worked on the campaigns of others long before he ran for office. They believe in Nelson-Pallmeyer and I'd love to hear the explanation from Hayden to them on how their candidate -- who truly wants to end the illegal war -- isn't worth noting in a magazine article? If older members of the peace movement want to be helpful, there are ways to be helpful. Telling people how to vote or ignoring their candidates isn't a way to be helpful and Tom Hayden knows many 'olders' hit the dirt in his day over this very issue. Hayden's 1976 run did make a difference. The same way, regardless of outcomes, other runs today will. Students don't need or want "voters' guides." They did want leadership and it hasn't been provided repeatedly which is why they've become their own leaders. In terms of others running in races right now . . . Hayden was a wonderful state assembly person and would have been a wonderful US senator (would still be a wonderful one). As a former candidate, he should grasp how harmful it is when you are the candidate speaking to the issues and others are actively working to highlight another candidate who is not addressing the issues.
In Yes! magazine, Aimee Allison and David Solnit address the things needed to build a stronger movement and shoring up Barack Obama doesn't take place once nor do they feel the need to predict primary winners. In an amazing article, the authors conclude, "The courage of young people in the military, on campuses and in the streets is showing us how to assert our people power. It's clear that more and more folks in the United States and around the world have the courage to resist. Can we find what lies at the root of the word courage-le coeur, or heart-to assert our power as communities, as movements, and as people to reverse the policies of empire and build a better world?" That really gets to the heart of what's needed in the peace movement today -- what's already there but needs to be amplified. Allison and Solnit are the authors of Army Of None -- a practical and inspiring book that addresses what's being done, what can be done and where we can all dream a little further.
Finally, returning to the topic of Dia al-Kawwaz (noted yesterday). Mohammed al Dulaimy, Jenan Hussein and Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) report, "Kawazz charged Friday that he'd been misled by Sadiq -- who first debunked his story -- in order to discredit him as a journalist." Sadiq is his brother-in-law Haider Sadiq. Someone lied to him -- that's not sarcasm. The Association to Defend Iraqi Journalist's rights' Ibrahim Saraj stated "Relatives confirmed the incident to me; Dhia confirmed it to me." He is conducting an investigation.
stephen braun and michael muskal of the los angeles times appear to have the best report. they note that many details are unknown or in conflict (including the man's name) while other outlets (including the new york times) are making claims that may turn out to be true but aren't identified as sourced and may or may not be true. a man walked into hillary clinton's campaign office in rochester, new hamsphire, announced he had a bomb (he had either explosives or flares taped to him) and announced he wanted to speak to hillary. from braun and muskal's article:
There was no motive given for the incident. The man had demanded to speak with Clinton, who was in Washington.
At least five people were released from the red-brick building during the day, according to television footage from the scene.
i think l.a. times does the best job but i'll also provide a link to the independent of london. that's 3 links. those are the 3 best 1s i have found so far (i'm now up to 21 stories read). of the 3, i would again recommend the l.a. times as your 1st choice.
henry hyde died. if you're looking for some reality on that hideous man, you can check out robert parry's 'Henry Hyde: Mr. Cover-up' (consortium news):
Official Washington is remembering the late Rep. Henry Hyde fondly, recalling the Illinois Republican as a well-respected "pro-life" advocate who held President Bill Clinton accountable for lying about a sexual dalliance with Monica Lewinsky.
But there was another side to Hyde, who died Nov. 29 at the age of 83. As a senior member of national security oversight committees, Hyde helped cover up criminal and political wrongdoing by the Reagan-Bush administrations in the 1980s and early 1990s.
In August 1986, for instance, Hyde was one of the ranking members of the House Intelligence Committee who trooped down to the White House to question National Security Council aide Oliver North about press accounts linking him to a secret operation to supply the Nicaraguan contra rebels in defiance of the law.
After North and his boss, John Poindexter, denied the allegations, Hyde joined Rep. Dick Cheney, R-Wyoming, and committee chairman, Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Indiana, in rejecting a bill that would have authorized a formal investigation.
Later that day, since I had co-authored an Associated Press story citing 24 sources about North's secret network, one of Hamilton's aides contacted me to say that the committee had sided with the "honorable men" at the White House over our 24 sources.
"It wasn't a close call," the aide added.
It was, however, an erroneous call.
Two months later, on Oct. 5, 1986, one of North's contra supply planes was shot down over Nicaragua, and the following month, the Iran-Contra operation, which involved using profits from secret arms sales to Iran to help finance the contras, was revealed.
In early 1987, however, Hyde re-joined Cheney and Hamilton on the congressional Iran-Contra committee, where the three congressmen again sought to narrow the investigation and minimize what had happened.
Hyde and Cheney led the charge in defense of President Reagan, while Hamilton engineered immunity for Oliver North and bought into the cover story that Iran-Contra was mostly a rogue operation.
However, the more serious Iran-Contra investigation led by Republican special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh eventually broke through the rogue-operation cover story and also discovered that the chronology of the covert Iran arms shipments kept stretching back to the early 1980s.
Indeed, a growing body of evidence indicated that the secret contacts between the Reagan team and the Iranians dated back to Campaign 1980 when President Jimmy Carter was desperately trying to free 52 American hostages then held in Iran -- and witnesses claimed Republican operatives were trying to sabotage Carter's efforts.
Since this controversy centered on alleged Reagan-Bush attempts to block Carter's pre-election release of the hostages, it became known as the "October Surprise" case, but it also could be viewed as the prequel to Iran-Contra. [For the fullest account of the October Surprise case, see Robert Parry’s Secrecy & Privilege.]
that's the opening of the article, there is a lot to cover when it comes to hyde and parry is 1 of the most qualified to do so.
the election. is any 1 else sick of john nichols and ari berman and their non-stop attacks on hillary while they hump the leg of obama's pants? obama isn't going to stop the war and they continue to lie to readers about that. it's a lie. that's all it is. he is a triangulator and he learned it in the d.l.c. he only left them when it became public embarrassing (during his 2004 senate run, he was included on their list and had his name removed - he was d.l.c. bruce dixon and glen ford established this.)
i don't like hillary. but i'm not going to LIE to people in order to defeat her. the nation has pimped obama like crazy. he is a joke. he has gotten the kids' glove treatment. he is not against the illegal war. he thought, in 2002, it was 'dumb.' by 2004, he was saying the u.s. could not leave iraq (shocking elaine and c.i. who were prepared to write checks for the maximum donation until they heard that crap from his own mouth). by the time he was interviewed by the new york times right before he gave his d.n.c. speech, he was telling them he didn't know how he would have voted if he'd been in the senate.
all the nation offers is a personal grudge f**k against hillary. they refuse to apply the same standard to hillary that they do to barack. but he's council for foreign relations like katrina vanden heuvel. he's sammy power backed. and they're going to toss in their lot with him, article after article.
they're going to lie to readers over and over because the most important thing to them is eliminating hillary clinton, not ending the illegal war.
it's a real shame the nation has to lie so much.
paul krugman is not a radical. he's way to the right of me. and yet paul krugman offers truth about obama, something the trashbag nation magazine won't do.
no 1 who reads me thinks i'm a fan of hillary. i'm not. i'm not supporting her. but i do support basic fairness. the nation seems to have trashed fairness along with honesty. but they'll call it a 'win' if they can tear hillary apart even though they're cheerleading her siamese twin.
this is from krugman's 'Mandates and Mudslinging' (the new york times via truthout):
The fundamental weakness of the Obama plan was apparent from the beginning. Still, as I said, advocates of health care reform were willing to cut Mr. Obama some slack.
But now Mr. Obama, who just two weeks ago was telling audiences that his plan was essentially identical to the Edwards and Clinton plans, is attacking his rivals and claiming that his plan is superior. It isn't - and his attacks amount to cheap shots.
First, Mr. Obama claims that his plan does much more to control costs than his rivals' plans. In fact, all three plans include impressive cost control measures.
Second, Mr. Obama claims that mandates won't work, pointing out that many people don't have car insurance despite state requirements that all drivers be insured. Um, is he saying that states shouldn't require that drivers have insurance? If not, what's his point?
Look, law enforcement is sometimes imperfect. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have laws.
Third, and most troubling, Mr. Obama accuses his rivals of not explaining how they would enforce mandates, and suggests that the mandate would require some kind of nasty, punitive enforcement: "Their essential argument," he says, "is the only way to get everybody covered is if the government forces you to buy health insurance. If you don't buy it, then you'll be penalized in some way."
Well, John Edwards has just called Mr. Obama's bluff, by proposing that individuals be required to show proof of insurance when filing income taxes or receiving health care. If they don't have insurance, they won't be penalized - they'll be automatically enrolled in an insurance plan.
That's actually a terrific idea - not only would it prevent people from gaming the system, it would have the side benefit of enrolling people who qualify for S-chip and other government programs, but don't know it.
Mr. Obama, then, is wrong on policy. Worse yet, the words he uses to defend his position make him sound like Rudy Giuliani inveighing against "socialized medicine": he doesn't want the government to "force" people to have insurance, to "penalize" people who don't participate.
I recently castigated Mr. Obama for adopting right-wing talking points about a Social Security "crisis." Now he's echoing right-wing talking points on health care.
get it? obama's lying. and he can get away with it because liars & cowards at the nation magazine assist him.
he's got no record, he's got no experience. but the trashy nation magazine is willing to lie for him, to cover for him. that's not the role of the press. even an opinion journal should be embarrassed. the man has put homophobes onstage at his rallies and allowed them to express their homophobia. at what point does the left wake the hell up and say, 'no more!'
apparently it doesn't wake up for some time. apparently, katrina vanden heuvel's tingles in the crotch over obama are more important than reality. buy a vibrator, dear.
the nation is an alleged independent magazine and the saddest thing after their refusal to address the iraq war seriously has to be their willingness to turn themselves into a democratic party organ.
and how damn greedy is katrina vanden heuvel? we all know that her grubby family fought to refuse to pay estate taxes. but the supreme court said, 'no, pay the damn taxes.' now she's boasting about the nation running a profit for the first time in it's 100 plus year history. that's something to be proud of? for over 100 years (nearly 150), the magazine has put something at the forefront, the need to tell the truth. these days, money grubber katrina just wants the cash.
let's close with c.i.'s 'Iraq snapshot:'
Friday, November 30, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, a mass kidnapping is reported, the peace movement is not election central (get the message out), and more.
Last Saturday, Lawrence Hill (Ottawa Citizen) reminded (1) "the Anglo-American attack on Iraq in 2003 was an offensive -- not a retaliatory -- strike. The war had no approval from the UN Security Council, and for this reason Canada's prime minister of the day, Jean Chretien, refused to support it. In 2004, then-UN secretary general Kofi Annan declared explicilty that the U.S.-led war on Iraq was illegal" and (2) "according to official UN policy, soldiers who are likely to be punished for having deserted military action 'condemned by the international legal community as contrary to rules of human conduct' should be eligible for refugee status." Hill is co-author with Joshua Key of the book The Deserter's Tale and the refusal of Canada's Supreme Court to hear the appeals of US war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey makes it necessary to review those basics. Nikolai Lanine (Rabble News) observes, "We did betray them, after all. As a veteran of an illegal war, I feared Canada would do this. But I'd hoped otherwise." Lanine goes on to note that it wasn't just US war resisters during Vietnam being granted asylum, "November 26, 1986, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario welcomed five Soviet war objectors from Afghanistan. The Assembly described them as 'heroic individuals' and 'conscientious objectors in refusing to be partners in crime.'"
Cindy Sheehan (OpEdNews) urges people to utilize Courage to Resist's easy to mail or e-mail resources to allow the Canadian government to know you are watching and to support organizations supporting war resisters as well as supporting war resisters:
Support actual war resisters in Canada by sending them expense money. From my friend Ryan (I gave him and his wife money to get to Canada over two years ago):
In light of the recent Supreme Court denial in Canada, I (Ryan Johnson), My wife (Jen Johnson) and Brandon Hughey need help raising funds to travel to Ottawa to attend hearings before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where War Resisters will be giving Testimony to the committee. At these hearings the committee will be deciding on whether or not to make a provision to allow war resisters to stay in Canada. This is one of our last chances to be able to continue living in Canada. We will be leaving December 7th because the hearings are December 11th, 2007 so we need to act fast. They may try to send guys back soon and we need to have a strong War Resister Presence. We appreciate all of the support and Want to thank all of you who can help.
Checks/money orders can be sent for Ryan, Jen and Brandon to:312 Tower Rd Nelson, BC V1L3K6
If you are in Canada, you can utilize the contact info at War Resisters Support Campaign to let members of the Canadian Parliament know you support legislation allowing war resisters to stay in Canada. If you are in the United States (or elsewhere), you can utilize the contact info and/or forum at Courage to Resist. Public outcry didn't stop the illegal war from starting and public opposition has yet to end it. War resisters in Canada who have gone public are putting a great deal on the line. Use the links to show your support for them.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
The voice of war resister Camilo Mejia is featured in Rebel Voices -- playing now through December 16th at Culture Project and based on Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's best-selling book Voices of a People's History of the United States. It features dramatic readings of historical voices such as war resister Mejia, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Malcom X and others will be featured. Musician Allison Mooerer will head the permanent cast while those confirmed to be performing on selected nights are Ally Sheedy (actress and poet, best known for films such as High Art, The Breakfast Club, Maid to Order, the two Short Circuit films, St. Elmo's Fire, War Games, and, along with Nicky Katt, has good buzz on the forthcoming Harold), Eve Ensler who wrote the theater classic The Vagina Monologues (no, it's not too soon to call that a classic), actor David Strathaim (L.A. Confidential, The Firm, Bob Roberts, Dolores Claiborne and The Bourne Ultimatum), actor and playwright Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, Clueless -- film and TV series, Gregory and Chicken Little), actress Lili Taylor (Dogfight, Shortcuts, Say Anything, Household Saints, I Shot Andy Warhol, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, State of Mind) and actor, director and activist Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Beloved, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Rainmaker, Places In The Heart, Dreamgirls, Shooter and who recently appeared on Democracy Now! addressing the US militarization of Africa) The directors are Will Pomerantz and Rob Urbinati with Urbinati collaborating with Zinn and Arnove on the play. Tickets are $21 for previews and $41 for regular performances (beginning with the Nov. 18th opening night). The theater is located at 55 Mercer Street and tickets can be purchased there, over the phone (212-352-3101) or online here and here. More information can be found at Culture Project.
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 15th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
"The war in Iraq is not covered to its potential because of how dangerous it is for reporters to cover it. That's left a lot of misconceptions in the minds of the American public about what the true nature of military occupation looks like," declares IVAW's Liam Madden to Aaron Glantz in Glantz' report on the upcoming Winter Soldiers Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation (OneWorld). Madden is correct and only more so this week as a result of Project for Excellence in Journalism's report (PDF format here, our summary Wendesday here). This survey of 111 US journalists (mainstream media) who have covered Iraq found that "they do not believe the coverage of Iraq over time has been too negative. If anything, many believe the sitatuion over the course of the war has been worse than the American public has perceived, according to a new survey of journalists covering the war from Iraq." The report also found that 63% of the respondents stated "that Iraqi staffers do all or most of the street reporting outside the Green Zone." Madden tells Glantz, "This is our generation getting to tell history to ensure that the actual history gets told -- that it's not a sugar-coated, diluted version of what actually happened."
Turning to Iraq. Yesterday's snapshot included this: "Reuters reports 2 car bombs were found ('and detonated') 'in the Baghdad office complex of the leader of the country's main Sunni Arab bloc' -- Adnan al-Dulaimi." Waleed Ibrahim and Alaa Shahine (Reuters) reported this morning on the arrests of "dozens of people, including the son of a leading Sunni Arab politicians" with 7 arrested at al-Dulaimi's office Thursday and 29 arrested at Dualaimi's home Friday morning (Mekki Adnan al-Dulaimi was arrested at his father's home with the twenty-eight others). Robert H. Reid (AP) reports that, in the house arrests, "Iraqi security forces surrounded the house, a move the U.S. said was for the elder al-Dulaimi's personal safety. Al-Dulaimi complained that he was under virtual house arrest" and quotes the Sunni politician declaring, "I will wait until Saturday morning and if the ban of my family continues, then I will consider the government's measure as a house arrest." BBC notes that Adnan al-Dulaimi states that car with the bomb "was not in the compound" and quotes Crispin Thorold who contributes that the incident will likely "increase tensions between the main Sunni Arab political bloc and supporters of the Shia Prime Minister, Nouri Maliki." Gee, you think? And al-Dulaimi is thought to have organized the minister walk out in August (walking out of al-Maliki's cabinet). Think that doesn't matter? Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) reports today that there have been "17 ministries vacant for months." Rubin also notes the Thursday boycott in the Iraq Parliament over al-Maliki attempting to appoint ministers without input and to alter the Constitutional rules regarding the need for a quorum as well as the puzzler re: the arrests: "It is hard to understand why Mr. Dulaimi's guards might want to kill fellow Sunnis in the Awakening Council" and quotes an unnamed military official who declares "that it was impossible to rule out that an enemy of Mr. Dulaimi might have been trying to frame him." CNN reports "Slowing death rate in Iraq encourages Pentagon." Maybe that's why the Pentagon's been doing Multi-National Force's job. In the last few days, MNF has announced only one death. MNF's job is to announce the dead. The Defense Department puts names to them publicly after the families have been informed. Allen C. Roberts and John J. Tobiason deaths received no announcement from MNF.
Something that received lots of announcements was the mythic "Great Return." Michael Gordon and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) report: "As if to underscore Mr. Maliki's point, 375 Iraqi refugees arrived Thursday in a convoy of buses from Damascus, Syria, escorted by heavily armed policemen. After the lengthy journey, the tired Iraqis were ushered into the white marble affluence of the Mansour Melia Hotel in Baghdad to receive a promised government payout to people returning to the capital."
Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad mortar attack left two people wounded and Hibhib mortar attack claimed 3 lives and left two people wounded while yesterday a car bombing in Al Shirqat claimed the lives of 4 police officer. Reuters notes a bomber in Dhuluwiya killed himself and 1 Iraqi police captin while wounded two more police officers and a mortar attack outside Kirkuk that left two children injured.
Shootings?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 people dead in an Al Khalis attack on five vehicles containing "members of Iraqi military and police" with thirty then kidnapped. Reuters notes that "a restaurant owner" was shot dead in Kirkuk.
Corpses?
Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 3 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
Okay, we're throwing in programming here. RadioNation with Laura Flanders is a new broadcast and features US House Rep and 2008 Democratic presidential contender Dennis Kucinch. Kucinich and not, as I wrongly stated earlier in the week, the legal panel. (Those wanting to hear the legal panel can go to the Flanders archives.) In addition, Australia's election will be covered (John Howard out, Kevin Rudd in), Sue Dinsdale and Ari Berman will talk about the Iowa primaries in terms of the illegal war, Parvez Sharma (director of the documentary film A Jihad for Love) and Rev. Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping explaining the "Christmas Shopocalypse." Laura Flanders' program airs Sundays from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST over the airwaves on Air America Radio, on XM satellite radio and streams online. That's radio on Sunday. Tonight (Friday), PBS' Bill Moyers Journal begins airing their latest installment which will explore the Middle East and featuring Ron Sider and M.J. Rosenberg as guests with a report about Christians United for Israel. Remember that the program's website includes a blog and you can leave comments and questions there. In most markets, Bill Moyers Journal will be airing tonight; however, some markets have started their pledge drive and the show may be interrupted or rescheduled. In addition to checking your local TV listings, you can remember that Bill Moyers Journal shares with Democracy Now! the fact that it is online and it is watch, listen or read. Welcoming to all. And with the number of wounded returning from Iraq, you'd think more programs would elect to go with that option. That has happened but the Journal and DN! are accessible to all. Lastly, David Bacon's "What a Vote for Free Trade Means" (San Francisco Chronicle) details the realities that it's not just Iraq on which the shift in power in Congress (from Republican to Democratic control) hasn't produced the needed results. Bacon's not just one of the last reporters in the country covering the labor beat, he also takes news photographs that are actually art and you can see some of his photos addressing immigration by clicking here.
Turning to US politics. Tom Hayden has an article [Warning] at The Nation. What's the point of it? 527s aren't independent and let's not lie and pretend they are. Although he's realized that Barack Obama's New York Times chat was more revealing in transcript than write up, he's still creating false lines between Hillary Clinton and Obama that portray Obama in a flattering light. (For reality in the comparison, see Paul Krugman in this morning's New York Times via Truthout.) He places a lot of faith in MoveOn. We usually call them "WalkOn" here but, to their credit, they didn't back down even when condemned by some in the Senate. Maybe MoveOn has a spine? It's more than possible and, if so, good for them. But MoveOn appears in this sentence explaining where the peace movement can focus in the fall of 2008: "House and Senate races. It is perhaps here that groups like MoveOn and Progressive Democrats of America can have the greatest effect, by bolstering the numbers of antiwar senators and representatives who favor terminating the war in 2009. Think: Senator Al Franken."
Now Greens will be offended by the article and many Dems and many others and if that needs to be addressed, I'll carry it over to a column in a community newsletter. Let's instead focus (and this will go to a larger point) on one aspect of that. "Senator Al Franken" who apparently favors "terminating the war in 2009." Franken was pro-illegal war before it started, pro-illegal war while hosting his hideous radio show on Air America Radio and only recently came out against the illegal war. In that kind-of manner he's famous for (give five minutes in a speech to sobs over veterans care and then, having hidden behind that, do a quick line about how you oppose the illegal war, then move quickly on). What the hell is Al Franken doing in that column?
Al Franken DOES NOT CALL for an end to the illegal war in 2009. That's from his campaign staff who steered me to this page at Al Franken's website. "Immediately beginning the process of bringing the troops home. Our withdrawal should not be precipitous . . ." Click on the link to read in full (that link provided only because I'm friends with the person who steered me to it.) So that's wrong. Al Franken's remarks are no different than Hillary Clinton's -- whom Tom Hayden calls out (while glossing over Obama's flaws). So that's wrong. How wrong is it for Tom Hayden to ignore an ongoing race? Al Franken is not the nominee for the US Senate by the Democratic Party. He is someone running for the nomination. Jack Nelson-Pallymeyer is whom students on campuses are excited about in that state -- students wanting to end the illegal war. Nelson-Pallmeyer is calling for an end to the illegal war. The sort of end that Hayden himself favors. So the question here is if we don't support the candidates who believe as we do, what kind of people are we? I'm not calling Tom a hypocrite. I am saying he doesn't know the Minnesota race and, as someone who struggled in his original races (both the losing one and the first victory), I am surprised that he's calling a "win" in a primary that won't be 'closed' (short of other candidates dropping out*) until "The Tuesday of Destiny" (February 5, 2008). That same sort of declaration/awarding can be found in: "Voting for Kucinich, Richardson or Gravel is a legitimate choice but not a nominee." Your choice is legitimate, Kucinich, Richardson or Gravel supporters; however, get with the program. I remember damn well the negative circulars put out by Tunney's campaign. I'm guessing someone has forgotten those days. But in 1976, Hayden's opponent didn't think Hayden made for "a nominee." So it's really surprising to see someone who's been through it himself attempt to call an ongoing race. *Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is not the only other person running for the nomination. I'm mentioning him because Minneapolis students are passionate on the need to elect him. Repeated trips to that state have revealed an enthusiasm for him that is not in place for Franken. He may or may not win the race. But there's really no reason for The Nation to be promoting an open race as if there's only one candidate.
And that's the problem with the article. It's most obvious with regards to the Senate race. But it's there in terms of the presidency. Here's a thought for the peace movement (Hayden is a part of the peace movement), how about we stop wasting our time on elections? How about we start using that time to instead talk about ending the illegal war? (There's a second aspect to that but it's a piece this Sunday at The Third Estate Sunday Review.) Tom Hayden honestly wants to end the illegal war. That's not a pose with him, it's not a con, he truly wants to end the illegal war and wants that deeper in his soul than many other people. But here's why all this election talk is seen as nonsense by many students in today's peace movement: It starts with "Vote for whomever but we're only covering the front runners." Then it becomes "Use your voice however you want but that's not really a worthy nominee." And now it's to the point that a state race, not a national one, is being called when the state won't be holding its primary until February 5, 2008. At what point does it end? Will it filter down to municipal races? And if state candidates who support everything that is in Hayden's latest book (Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer does) aren't even noted while their opponent is not only noted but is misrepresented in the article (in a favorable light), what does that really say about the state of the peace movement?
I'm not endorsing Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer or anyone (other than Cindy Sheehan) but it is troublesome that the author of 2001's School of Assassins: Guns, Greed and Globalization can't get a 'shout out' or a 'hey-hey' from the very people who believe in the same global issues. And, here's the thing to pay attention to, young people in that state are working very hard on his campaign. The same way Hayden worked on the campaigns of others long before he ran for office. They believe in Nelson-Pallmeyer and I'd love to hear the explanation from Hayden to them on how their candidate -- who truly wants to end the illegal war -- isn't worth noting in a magazine article? If older members of the peace movement want to be helpful, there are ways to be helpful. Telling people how to vote or ignoring their candidates isn't a way to be helpful and Tom Hayden knows many 'olders' hit the dirt in his day over this very issue. Hayden's 1976 run did make a difference. The same way, regardless of outcomes, other runs today will. Students don't need or want "voters' guides." They did want leadership and it hasn't been provided repeatedly which is why they've become their own leaders. In terms of others running in races right now . . . Hayden was a wonderful state assembly person and would have been a wonderful US senator (would still be a wonderful one). As a former candidate, he should grasp how harmful it is when you are the candidate speaking to the issues and others are actively working to highlight another candidate who is not addressing the issues.
In Yes! magazine, Aimee Allison and David Solnit address the things needed to build a stronger movement and shoring up Barack Obama doesn't take place once nor do they feel the need to predict primary winners. In an amazing article, the authors conclude, "The courage of young people in the military, on campuses and in the streets is showing us how to assert our people power. It's clear that more and more folks in the United States and around the world have the courage to resist. Can we find what lies at the root of the word courage-le coeur, or heart-to assert our power as communities, as movements, and as people to reverse the policies of empire and build a better world?" That really gets to the heart of what's needed in the peace movement today -- what's already there but needs to be amplified. Allison and Solnit are the authors of Army Of None -- a practical and inspiring book that addresses what's being done, what can be done and where we can all dream a little further.
Finally, returning to the topic of Dia al-Kawwaz (noted yesterday). Mohammed al Dulaimy, Jenan Hussein and Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) report, "Kawazz charged Friday that he'd been misled by Sadiq -- who first debunked his story -- in order to discredit him as a journalist." Sadiq is his brother-in-law Haider Sadiq. Someone lied to him -- that's not sarcasm. The Association to Defend Iraqi Journalist's rights' Ibrahim Saraj stated "Relatives confirmed the incident to me; Dhia confirmed it to me." He is conducting an investigation.
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