Tuesday, November 22, 2005

JFK, Iraq wants us out and white phosophorus

Good evening.

I'm posting late because Ma saw C.I.'s entry on Democracy Now! and ran out to rent Oliver Stone's JFK. After dinner, we all watched the movie and then the second disc to see the documentary that Danny Schechter and the other two people made.

I'm going to guess everybody and their dog and their cat has seen JFK but I hadn't. It came out like before I was probably in first grade. A few years ago, two?, we saw some crappy documentary on JFK on the anniversary of his assassination. Peter Jennings was the host.

We've got JFK stuff and Robert Kennedy stuff up all over the house because my family is a) Democrat, b) Catholic and c) Irish-American.

So it was a real treat to watch this movie. It's a long movie but it doesn't seem like it. We all crowded into the living room and my kid sister was going "I'm watching ten minutes and then, if I don't like it, I'm going out." She ended up sitting through the whole thing.

We grabbed an intermission to pop more pop corn. :D

That's a good movie. And my older readers are probably thinking "No shit." But if you're my age or younger, maybe you haven't seen it before.

So let me try to figure out a way to interest you in it because a lot of people think history and then move on to something else.

Okay, you got a lot of famous people in the movie. Martin Sheen's a narrator. Kevin Costner is the star. Sissy Spacek from In the Bedroom plays his wife. Kevin Bacon's in it, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones is in it and he was really good in The Fugitive, Gary Oldman is in it, Jack Lemmon who's so good in the old movies like Some Like It Hot and The Apartment is in it and probably a ton of other people that I'm forgetting right now. The sister in Roseanne, the one who played Jackie, she's in it. So you got a lot of famous people in it.

And it's not dull history because it starts with the assassination. Then Kevin Costner's character is trying to figure out what's going on and who killed JFK and why?

This is a really good movie.

And Beyond JFK is a really good documentary. Danny Schechter and the others get all these people who covered the assassination to talk to the cameras and Ma and Dad were saying they were famous news people but I didn't know most of them. So people should check that out too.
Walter Cronkite is a name I know but I think he was off TV by the time I was born. But Ma and Dad and my oldest brother, who came over with his fiancee, were all, "Walter Cronkite."

So you should check it out. JFK is a really good movie.

Democracy Now! is a really great news program and now let's talk about two things from it today.

Iraqi Leaders Call for Troop Withdrawal Timetable
In Iraq, Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni leaders have issued a joint communiqué calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S troops. The New York Times reports this marks the first time Iraq's political factions collectively called for a withdrawal timetable. The communiqué was released during a reconciliation conference held under the auspices of the Arab League. Attendees included Iraqi president Jalal Talabani. The leaders also condemned attacks on Iraqi civilians, government institutions and oil installations, and called for the release of all detainees held without trial. They said Iraq's opposition had a "legitimate right" of resistance but condemned terrorism and acts of violence, murder and kidnapping.

They want us to leave. How hard is that to grasp? Nina clipped something from the New York Times and passed it on to me. It's a column Paul Krugman wrote that was in Monday's paper. It was arguing how we are fueling the instability.

If you're a member of The Common Ills, that's no surprise to you.

We just keep getting one lie from the Bully Boy after another and the public's sick of the lies. I don't think we'll swallow another one now. Bully Boy's on the ropes these days.

Pentagon Docs: White Phosphorous Is A Chemical Weapon
New evidence has emerged that the U.S. military used chemical weapons during the assault on Fallujah a year ago. Last week the Pentagon confirmed for the first time that it used white phosphorous as a weapon to attack Iraqi fighters. But the Pentagon rejected claims that white phosphorous is a chemical weapon. White Phosphorous is often compared to napalm because it combusts spontaneously when exposed to oxygen and can burn right through skin to the bone. While the Pentagon is denying white phosphorous is a chemical weapon, a newly uncovered Defense Department document, reveals that is just how the military described it when Saddam Hussein allegedly used it a decade ago. A declassified 1995 Pentagon intelligence document reads QUOTE "Iraqi forces loyal to president Saddam may have possibly used white phosphorous chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels." Meanwhile a British commander has admitted that he trained his troops in using white phosphorus as a weapon. Until now the British government has maintained it used white phosphorous but only for tactical purposes.

White phosphorus was used as a weapon and Monday the New York Times did a white wash, screw with the facts report, trying to act like it wasn't.

Will they do a "correction" now. Hell no. They're the New York Times and they write whatever they want, when they want. Right now they want to carry water for the military using an illegal chemical weapon. Maybe someday they'll be brought down by what Amy Goodman's called "the lies of the Times." If it happens, let's hope people aren't acting like it's a sad thing. The way some are acting like the end of Ted Koppel's Nightline is a boo-hoo situation. C.I.'s got a great thing on that today called "The end of a (Bad) era." Hopefully, there will be brave voices if and when the might New York Times crumbles.

Be sure to check out Rebecca's Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude (she says she'll be up around midnight). And also Elaine's Like Maria Said Paz. I didn't get to talk to her before she caught her plane but after the movie and the documentary, I called her up and we picked our two things to note. She was taking a nap and then going to grab something to eat with C.I. Wally and Kat posted today.

And if you're looking for something to read on Bob Woodward, Rebecca said to check out Ron's thing. He's asking about the "slam dunk" quote that Woodward's always said George Tenent made.

I'll be posting tomorrow and I'm still up in the air about Thursday. I'll try to figure out by tomorrow. I will be posting something on Friday. I'm leaning towards posting on Thursday, just not sure where I'll find time.

Motto: The Common Ills community is important and the Common Ills community is important to me. So I'll do my part for the Common Ills community.















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