Friday, December 05, 2014

Silly and useless Jane Fonda

Elementary had its good points (Lucy Liu) tonight.  I'll write about it next time.

Tonight?

Let's focus on the silly stupidity of Jane Fonda.

This was Tweeted today:

  1. Lyndon Johnson couldn't pull out of Vietnam because he was afraid of premature evacuation. -Jane Fonda


But does the elderly, falling apart, imploded sex bomb (who hasn't had sex in awhile I understand despite all her pretending for the public about Richard Perry) say the same about Barack?

Remember when Jane pretended to care about Iraq?

But not a word about Iraq since Barack got in the White House.

The elderly actress wants you to support her new 'sitcom' on Netflix.

I say we show that series all the support Jane has shown the Iraqi people -- which would be zero.



Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

 
Thursday, December 4, 2014.  Chaos and violence continue, yes -- Virginia -- US papers do print astroturf,  a few North American idiots continue to insist that US troops are out of Iraq -- this despite the fact that 3 US service members have been killed in the last two months, the US House of Representatives embraces eternal war on Iraq,  and much more.



In one for Ripley's, Jean Sellmeyer Smith of Crowley has become the first person on the planet to prove it is possible to live without a brian.  Sellmeyer Smith managed this achievement and even documented it via a letter to the editors of the Advertiser.


Let's now quote from the historic document, "Our soldiers are home from Iraq. . ."


Sellmeyer Smith composed the letter after apparent non-stop exposure to the propaganda of MSNBC.


While proving it is capable to live without a brain, Sellmeyer Smith has also provided hours of laughter with her idiotic claim which was published on the same day as the Associated Press reported:


The US has reached an agreement with Iraq on privileges and immunities for the growing number of troops based in the country, helping in the fight against the Islamic State (Isis) militant group, the new US ambassador said on Thursday.
Stuart Jones said prime minister Haider al-Abadi has given assurances that US troops will receive immunity from prosecution.


Reached for comment, Sellmeyer Smith reportedly responded, "What do you expect from me, I'm just a mindless zombie in the Cult of St. Barack."

Being a zombie is being bit of whore.  You whore whatever's left of your name, sacrifice it on the temple alter to Barack Obama.  Being whores, people like Sellmeyer Smith?

They put their dirty, trashy name to anything.

That's how Sellmeyer Smith came to write:

Our soldiers are home from Iraq; Osama bin Laden is dead. In sharp contrast to the Bush years, the United States again leads the world in respected internationality.

That's how she came to write it a month after the editor of the Pekin Daily Times, Amy Gehrt, quoted Richard Brunt writing:

America is leading the world once again and respected internationally — in sharp contrast to the Bush years. Obama brought soldiers home from Iraq and killed Osama bin Laden.


Oh, I get it, you take the first sentence and make it the second one and you change the second one from "America" to "United States" and then, presto, it's almost as if you're plagiarized words were your own?

What is it?

It's Astroturf. (And the Shreveport Times printed the letter at the end of last month.  The exact same letter.)

We used to mock, on the left we did, all the crazy love slaves of Bully Boy Bush who used to copy and paste the same sentiments and send them out to newspapers across the land.

Like a nasty venereal disease, Astroturf has spread to the segments of the left -- the brain dead and whorish segments.


In the November 10, 2014 Iraq snapshot, we dealt with Richard Brunt's lies about US troops being out of Iraq:


Well just because you're letting the precum pool in your pants doesn't mean you need to share your erotic fantasies with the rest of us.

Brunt's so busy jizzing while moaning Barack, he actually writes, "Obama brought soldiers home from Iraq."

Indeed.

For example, he brought these two home last month -- in body bags.








That's Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal (photo from Facebook).   We noted his death in October 25th snapshot.



That's Cpl Jordan Spears (photo from Marine Corps).  Last month, he was reclassified as the first death in 'Operation Inherent Resolve.'




Apparently, Brunt's been too busy jacking off to light bondage fantasies of Barack disciplining him to pay attention to actual events in the real world -- including the fact that 'Operation Inherent Resolve' has already claimed the lives of 2 American service members.


Jean Sellmeyer Smith is actually a bigger idiot and a bigger whore than Brunt.  When he wrote his bulls**t, those two were the only US service members dead in the latest phase of the never ending war.

But this week, DoD issued the following:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-599-14
December 02, 2014

DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty


  The Department of Defense announced today the death of an Airman who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
Capt. William H. DuBois, 30, of New Castle, Colorado, died Dec. 1 when his F-16 aircraft crashed near a coalition air base in the Middle East. He was assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

For more information media may contact the 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office at 803-895-2019.  





In the early days of the Iraq War, I used to be left dumbfounded by the whorish efforts of Bully Boy Bush's love slaves to ignore reality in order to pimp their lover boy.

The Cult of St. Barack is no different.

They will whore.

They will lie.

They will look the other way.

Anything to avoid calling out Barack.

Barack Obama's time as president has demonstrated whorishness exists on all sides of the political spectrum.  Long gone (and buried) are the days when I could kid myself that being on the left was a sign that we were smarter.


Moving over to violence in Iraq, Middle East Eye notes, "A car bomb blast in Iraq’s northern Kirkuk province has killed at least 18 people, according to security officials" with twenty-two more people left wounded.  Al Jazeera adds, "At least 16 people have been killed in two car bombs that went off in the Sadr district of Iraq's capital Baghdad, officials said."  National Iraqi News Agency reports 4 people were shot dead "southwest of Baghdad" by assailants "riding in a taxi," the Islamic State executed 1 police officer in Mosul, south of Tirkit an attack on a car left 4 people shot dead and a fifth injured, 6 militia members were killed in a Baiji battle with the Islamic State, 3 musicians were executed in Mosul, a Miqdadiya battled left 5 militants dead, the "international coalition" dropped bombs on western Anbar resulting in an alleged 23 deaths -- all of whom, of course, must have been 'terrorists' because the US government does not acknowledge killing civilians in Iraq, and 1 corpse was discovered dumped in the streets of eastern Baghdad. Iraqi Spring MC notes that a bombing near the entrance to Baghdad's Green Zone has resulted in the closure of bridges.  Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 139 people killed in violence across Iraq today and 116 were left injured.


Iraqi Spring MC reports that the Iraqi military has bombed Falluja General Hospital and that the bombing of Falluja's residential neighborhoods -- by the Iraqi military -- and, yes, this remains a War Crime -- resulted in the deaths of 15 civilians with eleven more left injured.

It was September 13th that the new prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced these bombings were over, finished.  But the reality is they never stopped.

So either al-Abadi didn't really give the order to stop these ongoing bombings (which started in January of this year) or the Iraqi military in Anbar is refusing to take orders from him.

Like the violence, corruption continues to thrive in Iraq.  NINA reports that MP Majda al-Tamimi, who serves on Parliament's Finance Committee, has declared that they are reviewing 9,000 governemtn projects from 2004 to the present for any corruption and that any people found guilty of "the theft of public money" should be prosecuted and held accountable.


NINA also reports, "Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi issued on Tuesday an order includes speeding up the release of detainees to whom court orders were issued for their release "

That might mean something if anyone could believe it.

But when you announce that you're going to do the right thing and stop the ongoing bombings of civilians in Falluja -- punishing for where they live -- and you don't?

 Let's move over to today's US State Dept press briefing moderated by Marie Harf.
QUESTION: Yes. Can we go to Syria/Iraq/ISIL?

MS. HARF: We can.


QUESTION: There was apparently some activity on the Hill this morning, and Senator Menendez put on hold a possible vote on use of military force.


MS. HARF: Mm-hmm.


QUESTION: And he said that he’s keen on listening to Secretary Kerry next week.


MS. HARF: Mm-hmm.


QUESTION: So is the Secretary going to go to the Hill tomorrow morning – Monday morning? So --


MS. HARF: Well, a few weeks ago, we had actually offered him to testify on this coming Monday, so we’ve had that offer on the table for a while now. We’re looking at the schedule now, given latest developments, but obviously, the Secretary is happy to engage when he can. Certainly, this is an important issue, and we’ll see if we can get something on the calendar. But we had offered this date a few weeks ago.
Silence. Yes.

On the US Senate, Patricia Zengerle (Reuters) reports that Senator John McCain put a block on Anthony Blinken's nomination for Deputy Secretary of State and quotes McCain declaring:

He's totally unqualified.  [. . .] He's the guy who said we're leaving behind the richest, safest Iraq in history. Look it up


Blinken isn't qualified.

You can argue he was following orders but if you make that argument you also have to question his own personal ethics in following orders.

As Iraq 's turmoil could not longer be ignored (by 2012, even the stupid should have caught on), Blinken was dispatched to Iraq regularly where he held the hand of tyrant and then-prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.  As one former White House official {from Barack's administration) pointed out to me earlier today, "Blinken should have been leading Maliki to a come-to-Jesus moment.  Instead, he was encouraging Maliki in his paranoia and rubber stamping Maliki's attacks on the Sunni community."


While Blinken's nomination is currently blocked (at least for a week), in the House of Representatives today, a vote was taken on Barack's $585 billion 'defense' bill which also provides legal coverage for Barack's latest phase in the ongoing Iraq War.  300 members of Congress voted for it.

119 voted against it.  US House Rep Walter Jones was a "no" vote and his office issued the following today:




Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2015, which cuts military benefits and provides billions of dollars in spending toward President Obama’s unconstitutional expansion of military force in Iraq and Syria.
The NDAA for FY 2015 cuts military benefits by requiring a $3 increase in certain pharmacy co-pays and a 1 percent decrease in the housing allowance for uniformed service members.

In addition to cuts in military benefits, the NDAA for FY 2015 also includes President Obama’s $5 billion request to fund Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria.  Of that $5 billion, $3.4 billion will be used for airstrikes against ISIS and $1.6 billion will be used for training Sunni tribes and forces in Iraq.  Overall, the NDAA for FY 2015 authorizes $63.7 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere. 

“I cannot vote for a bill that cuts military benefits while funding wars that Congress never declared,” said Congressman Jones.  Congress repeatedly authorizes spending on undeclared wars that put our troops in danger and then has the audacity to cut the benefits of those they are unconstitutionally sending overseas to fight.  It’s just not right.” 
Congressman Jones also opposed a provision in the bill which directs the U.S. government to give away 2,300 acres in Arizona to a foreign-controlled corporation (Resolution Copper) without going through a competitive bidding process and without the approval of local native American Indian tribes who consider the land home.
The House of Representatives passed its version of the NDAA bill in the spring, and it has been in conference with the Senate until this month. The House-Senate conference version of the NDAA was filed in the House of Representatives late on Tuesday night, and was voted on today – less than 72 hours after it was filed. Once it passes the Senate, it will be sent to President Obama for him to sign into law.



Barack's been signing off on a lot of things.  Let's look at terrorism and hostages.  PBS' Frontline notes:

An Al Qaeda affiliate has given the U.S. three days to meet its demands to save hostage journalist Luke Somers, once again reviving an agonizing debate: Should the U.S. meet the demands of terrorists when hostages’ lives are in danger?
Somers, 33, was abducted in 2013 in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. In a video posted Wednesday, he says he is certain his “life is in danger” and explains that he was born in England but has American citizenship and lived in the U.S. for most of his life. The video also shows a person identified as a member of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula threatening to kill Somers unless the group’s demands are met.
Watch: Al Qaeda in Yemen FRONTLINE’s 2012 investigation of a growing Al Qaeda stronghold
The question of whether to pay ransom to win hostages’ release arose last month during a discussion about ISIS that included FRONTLINE filmmaker Martin Smith. Asked if he believes governments should pay ransom to bring kidnapped journalists home, Smith answered decisively: No.
“I’m not trying to sound heroic or brave at all,” said Smith, who has reported extensively in Iraq. “It’s simply a risk that comes with the work. A lot of people have jobs that entail a certain amount of risk, and I accept that that’s a risk. And I believe that the payment of ransom only promotes more hostage-taking.”

So that's a "no" then on the US government paying ransom to thugs who take hostages?

But what about when the US government itself is the thug taking hostages?

Yes, we're talking about the woman known as Saja al-Dulaimi, held for eleven days by the Lebanese military after she was seized with the help of the CIA and other elements of the US government.  Seized?

The woman's accused of no crimes but the US government thought she might be "valuable" as did the Lebanese government.  Vivian Salama and Bassem Mroue (AP) do stenography to serve up this:


If the woman is indeed al-Baghdadi's wife, she could potentially serve as a bargaining chip with Syria-based militants holding some 20 Lebanese security forces captured in a cross-border raid in August. Beirut has been under intense pressure from the families of the captured men to negotiate their release.


Ben Hubbard and Eric Schmitt (New York Times) do only slightly better.  What's slightly better?

They at least float US government involvement.  They also quote a Lebanese official insisting the woman is so the wife of Islamic State leader al-Baghdadi!

Or was!

"Lebanon’s interior minister, Nouhad Machnouk, told a local television station that Ms. Dulaimi was married to Mr. Baghdadi six years ago, but only for three months."

Oh.

Okay.

So now the world's supposed to rejoice over the kidnapping of a woman who is still not accused of committing any crimes but may have, six years ago, been married,  "only for three months"!, to al-Baghdadi?

They don't know a damn thing.

Including the fact that it is terrorism to kidnap someone, that the rule of law is not the rule of the old west.

The thugs here?  That would be the governments of Lebanon and the United States.

This is not how legitimate governments are supposed to act, they are not supposed to kidnap people in order to hold them as hostages to use for later negotiations.


BBC News via YaLibnan offers this twist:

Late on Wednesday, Mr Machnouk told MTV that Ms Dulaimi had been traveling with two sons and a daughter when they were detained by the army two weeks ago.
“Dulaimi is not Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s wife currently. She has been married three times: first to a man from the former Iraqi regime, with whom she had two sons,” he said.
“Six years ago she married Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for three months, and she had a daughter with him. Now, she is married to a Palestinian and she is pregnant with his child.”
The minister added: “We conducted DNA tests on her and the daughter, which showed she was the mother of the girl, and that the girl is [Baghdadi’s] daughter, based on DNA from Baghdadi from Iraq.”

Mr Machnouk said Ms Dulaimi’s children were staying at a care centre while she was being interrogated at the defence ministry’s headquarters.



A woman and one or three children have been kidnapped by the governments of Lebanon and the United States with the hope that the woman can be used as a "chip" in bargaining with terrorism -- thereby making the two governments agents of terrorism themselves.




Finally, today the US Dept of Defense issued the following:


IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-603-14
December 04, 2014

Secretary Hagel Releases Progress Report to the President on Sexual Assault in the Military, Announces Four New Directives to Strengthen Department Response


  Today, Secretary Hagel released a report on the Department of Defense’s recent progress in addressing sexual assault in the military, and announced four directives to further strengthen the department’s prevention and response program.
Sustained senior leadership engagement over the past three years – including 41 secretary of defense initiatives – has changed how the military works to prevent, respond to and effectively adjudicate sexual assault crimes.
“Eradicating sexual assault from our ranks is not only essential to the long-term health and readiness of the force; it is also about honoring our highest commitments to protect our fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines,” Secretary Hagel said today.
Preliminary survey data indicate that our efforts are driving progress. Service members experienced fewer sexual assaults in fiscal year 2014 than in fiscal year 2012 – an estimated 19,000, down from 26,000. Although this is a reduction, there is clearly more work to be done.
In addition, the number of service member victims choosing to report these crimes has increased by more than 50 percent over the same period of time. This indicates an increased confidence in the department’s ability to support victims, and adjudicate these crimes.
While signs of progress are encouraging, the mission is far from complete.
The secretary announced today four directives intended to further improve the department’s sexual assault prevention and response programs by: (1) creating a pilot program for select installations that will customize prevention efforts (2) requiring commanders to identify and prevent retaliation, (3) training first-line supervisors to lead sexual assault and prevention programs, and (4) further publicizing resources for victims.
“DoD will continue its strong and committed efforts to pursue comprehensive and dynamic approaches to fighting sexual assault in the military. President Obama and all of DoD’s leaders, both military and civilian, are committed to doing whatever it takes to stamp out this scourge,” said Hagel.
The department is committed to eradicating sexual assault in the ranks, and will continue our focused, transparent, collaborative approach to further ensure that each service member is treated with dignity and respect.
The report is available online at http://sapr.mil/public/docs/reports/FY14_POTUS/FY14_DoD_Report_to_POTUS_Full_Report.pdf.
The directives are available online at http://sapr.mil/public/docs/reports/FY14_POTUS/FY14_DoD_Report_to_POTUS._SecDef_Initiatives.pdf
More information about the department’s sexual assault prevention efforts can be found at www.sapr.mil.
Survivors are encouraged to contact the Safe Helpline at 877-995-5247 or visit www.safehelpline.org for confidential and anonymous crisis intervention services.






















Thursday, December 04, 2014

Stalker

I think tonight's episode of Stalker was the best one so far.

The Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott drama airs on CBS every Wednesday night.

Tonight, they had a stalker who, it turned out, was seeking revenge or justice.

She and her best friend were raped by a guy while his girlfriend watched and his friend held them down.

She sought revenge on the rapist, his girlfriend (now his wife) and his friend.

And Maggie Q had to bust her but did find a way to make the rapist pay (he had continued raping).

Best of all was the long running element.

The stalker who was pretending to be the boyfriend of Maggie Q's best friend got exposed and Maggie Q gave her police protection.

As the episode was nearing the end, the man confronted Maggie Q.

And we learned what he had discovered about her.

Her name was Michelle.  Her stalker (we knew she had one, he's supposed to be in prison, remember) went after her and killed her entire family.  That's when she changed her name.

It looks like this storyline's really going to heat up and I'm glad about that.

Next week, they also touch on the long running storyline about Dylan McDermott's son and it looks like his son knows who his father is.

It was a great episode and the 'next week' at the end has me really excited.


Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

 
Wednesday, December 3, 2014.  Chaos and violence continue, John Kerry lets down the administration, Barack won't pay compensation for civilian deaths, and much more.

Today, CENTCOM announced, "In Iraq, four airstrikes near Mosul destroyed five ISIL bunkers, two ISIL-occupied buildings, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL fighting position and two heavy weapons. In addition, those airstrikes also struck a large ISIL unit and a tactical ISIL unit. Near Ramadi, two airstrikes destroyed four ISIL vehicles. Near Tal Afar, an airstrike destroyed an excavator and struck a tactical ISIL unit."

The US-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State has killed many and, though the US government would like to pretend otherwise, that includes many civilians.  Chris Woods (Foreign Policy) reports:

 The United States is not planning to grant compensation for civilians killed in airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, Foreign Policy has learned, despite claims by credible groups that at least 100 noncombatants may already have died in the 16 weeks of U.S.-led bombings.
The decision, confirmed by a senior spokesman for U.S. Central Command (Centcom), the military command organization in charge of the air war, marks a significant departure from recent conflicts, in which payments have regularly been made to civilians negatively impacted by U.S. military actions.  


What a proud moment for Barack Obama.  Even Bully Boy Bush's administration compensated some for Iraqi civilians killed by US military actions.

Let's stay with the US government for a bit.  At the State Dept press briefing today, spokesperson Marie Harf noted, "The Secretary [of State John Kerry]  is on travel in Europe today. This morning in Brussels he participated in the Counter-ISIL Coalition Meeting at NATO, had meetings with EU High Representative Mogherini and Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi, participated in a meeting on Libya with European foreign ministers and the EU, a meeting on the U.S.-EU Energy Ministerial, and he held a press availability which I’m sure many of you saw. Tonight he arrives in Basel, Switzerland for meetings at the OSCE, the first of which will be with Swiss Foreign Minister Burkhalter."

That Counter-ISIL Coalition meeting?  John Kerry wandered around the topic in public remarks to the press today in Brussels:



Secretary John Kerry:  [T]oday was an opportunity for representatives from about 60 members of the anti-ISIL coalition to come together, share their views, receive updates on coalition efforts, make suggestions about the roadmap ahead, and discuss as carefully as possible the pluses and minuses of the strategy engaged and what needs to be done to accomplish our goals going forward.
It was absolutely clear in the comments of everybody, particularly the prime minister of Iraq and his team, that we have made already significant progress in two and a half months. But we also acknowledge there is a lot more work yet to be done. Daesh is still perpetrating terrible crimes, but there was a consensus that the momentum which it had exhibited two and a half months ago has been halted, that it has been forced to modify its tactics – and some of those modifications severely hampering their ability to operate in the way that they were, certainly – that their hold on territory has been challenged already, and their finances have been strained, and in almost every media market that exists, and certainly within the region, their message is being denounced. Their message of hate is being challenged in public meeting places, in mosques across the globe. This clearly represents a multifaceted effort, which is precisely what we defined in the earliest days of suggesting that we would build a coalition and the coalition would take on Daesh.
Now, while airstrikes may capture the headlines – and there have been more than 1,000 of them thus far – this is far more than simply a military coalition. And it will not be successful, we all agree, if it were to rely on military alone, which it does not. Destroying Daesh is going to require defeating the ideology – the funding, the recruitment, and the devastation that they’ve been able to inflict on people in the region. And these are the areas that were really the primary focus of today’s discussion.
During this morning’s meeting, we reviewed the progress in each of our five lines of effort and came together in issuing a joint statement, all countries signing on, that underscores our unity and our firm support for our partners and our absolute determination to succeed. Participants noted the gains that we have made across all of the lines of effort – defeating ISIL on the battlefield, restricting its finances, enacting laws to restrict the flow of foreign fighters, and countering its toxic ideology.
The long-term success of the effort in Iraq is key to the success of the coalition. And today we heard directly from Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi, whose government yesterday revealed and reached a long-sought agreement, a landmark oil deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government. The prime minister also provided an update on the fight against Daesh in Iraq and on his broader reform agenda, including an executive order that he just issued to begin important changes in the criminal justice system of Iraq. Nothing will do more to defeat Daesh than an Iraq that is united and has more representative and effective security forces.
Now, obviously there’s a lot more work ahead. But the prime minister has taken steps to unite the country, including outreach to Sunni tribes. He has taken steps to root out corruption and to reform the Iraqi Security Forces and to take on the threat that Daesh represents. I think it’s fair to say that all of the foreign ministers, ambassadors, representatives who were there today came away impressed by Prime Minister Abadi and by what he has accomplished today, which is the down payment on the roadmap that he laid out for the future.


I like John Kerry -- supported his presidential run in 2004 -- but sometimes he's just too pathetic for words.

Should of been his crowning moment of the year today.  It's been a bad year for John.  Not like when he was in California and shot off his mouth thereby destroying any hopes of a 2008 run for president.  That was weeks of bad.  Weeks of embarrassment.  2014 has just been him forgetting he's Secretary of State and not of Defense.

He's gone crazy trying to play administration tough guy.

Today, he finally did something that was actually a job for the Secretary of State.

Despite the press traveling with him, the foreign ministries meet-up today received very little attention from the press.

And that's his fault.

When he had the microphone today addressing the press, he couldn't stay on topic.

I don't give a damn what he thinks about Libya or China.  We didn't include it.

I used to think, "Some day John will find the self-confidence to stop trying to show off and just focus on the task at hand."  The closer he gets to death, the less likely he'll ever arrive at a moment of self-confidence or self-awareness.

He has the world's attention for one brief moment and can speak for the administration and finally note something on the diplomatic front with regards to Iraq but that's for people who want to do their job.


It's not good enough for a John Kerry who wants to overwhelm you.

He killed his own moment.

That's on him.

He let down the administration because he couldn't stop strutting.

His task today was simple, to stay on topic (Iraq) and assure the world that the US had a diplomatic plan -- something in the works that would help bring Iraq to the "political solution" that Barack Obama has repeatedly said was the only answer for Iraq.

That was what was needed from the Secretary of State.

Kerry couldn't pull it off because he couldn't stay focused.

His failure to sell it made those covering it -- the few -- even less likely to pretend a 'plan' exists.  The editorial board of the Daily Star, for example, offered:

The coalition has bombed the jihadis in Iraq since August and in Syria since September, yet the militant group – which most of the world had not even heard of a year ago – still holds swaths of land in both countries, maintains large financial reserves and continues to terrorize vast civilian populations.
Meeting Wednesday, the allied foreign ministers admitted that the battle against the group would likely take years, and, conceding they were in it for the long haul, agreed to continue holding such conferences every six months.


Lara Jakes and John-Thor Dahlburg (AP) report:

 Under an agreement issued by the coalition Wednesday, foreign ministers representing coalition nations will meet at least every six months in what all agree will be a years-long campaign against the Islamic State. In addition to supporting the Iraqi government and urging access to humanitarian aid in Syria, it also called for greater help to countries in the region that have been saddled with millions of refugees from the battle zone.
As he headed into the meeting Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said the global coalition has made significant headway against the Islamic State, including stemming its financial support. Most importantly, he said, the militants’ deadly march across the region has been halted.


The following countries took part in the meet-up:




Republic of Albania
Hungary
Sultanate of Oman
Australia
Republic of Iceland
Republic of Poland
Republic of Austria
Republic of Iraq
Portuguese Republic
Kingdom of Bahrain
Ireland
State of Qatar
Belgium
Italian Republic
Republic of Korea
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Japan
Romania
Republic of Bulgaria
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Canada
Republic of Kosovo
Republic of Serbia
Republic of Croatia
State of Kuwait
Republic of Singapore
Republic of Cyprus
Republic of Latvia
Slovak Republic
Czech Republic
Republic of Lebanon
Republic of Slovenia
Denmark
Republic of Lithuania
Federal Government of Somalia
Arab Republic of Egypt
Luxembourg
Spain
Republic of Estonia
Macedonia*
Sweden
European Union
Moldova
Taiwan
Republic of Finland
Montenegro
Republic of Turkey
French Republic
Morocco
United Arab Emirates
Georgia
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Ukraine
Federal Republic of Germany
New Zealand
United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
Hellenic Republic
Norway
United States of America
* Greece does not recognize The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia under a name other than its provisional as stated in UNSCR 817(1993).


At Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's website, the prime minister's speech was posted in full:

Ladies and Gentlemen thank you very much
Thank you, Secretary Kerry, for convening this meeting to discuss how the international community can respond to the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Because it is not Islamic, not a state, and not worthy of a formal name, I will call it simply by its Arabic acronym – DAESH.
I thank you all for attending this meeting and for everything that your countries are doing to support Iraq and its people. And I thank NATO for hosting this event here at your headquarters.
As the attendance at this meeting underscores – some 60 foreign ministers from countries around the globe – the world has woken up to the fact that DAESH threatens not only the nations and peoples of the Middle East and North Africa but everyone, everywhere who refuses to accept its extremist views and barbaric practices.
On behalf of the people of Iraq who have suffered so much for so long, I can tell you that DAESH perpetrates indiscriminate inhumanity.  DAESH’s beheadings, mass executions, and enslavement of women and children have been directed against people from every ethnic background and religious confession, regardless of national borders.
For those of you who represent nations in North America and Western Europe, it is well-known that DAESH recruits and trains, among others, battle-hardened western fighters. It is only a matter of time before these highly-trained terrorists will be sent back to the societies from which they came to commit murder and mayhem.
As you are demonstrating by your presence today, defeating DAESH is our common cause. It requires our collective efforts, regionally and globally. I am here today to reaffirm to you that the government and the people of Iraq are committed to doing our part.
We are grateful for the support of the United States and every other member of the coalition. But we know that, on the ground, this is first and foremost our fight. And we understand that, in Iraq, while military action is necessary to defeat DAESH, we also need governmental reform, national reconciliation, and economic and social reconstruction.
Our newly-elected government is undertaking all these tasks – all at once. And our efforts are already beginning to show results.
Following free and fair national elections last April, and with the support of every ethnic, regional, and religious group, I have formed a new government that includes representatives of all Iraqi political and social blocs.
Our government is successfully meeting its pledges for the first three months, and we are also making progress on the programs that we proposed for the first six monthsto fulfill all our commitments to the Iraqi people.
Ahead of the pace from previous years, the Council of Ministers has reviewed the budget and should forward it to parliament for approval very soon.
We are working for national reconciliation on several fronts. We are forging cooperative relationships with the tribes of Salahudeen, Al-Anbar and Ninawa that are based in areas under the control of DAESH. These tribes are being armed and are currently fighting alongside Iraqi security forces.
We are also working on amending the Accountability and Justice Law, which provides for de-baathification, to ease the reintegration of a large number of former government employees who have not committed crimes against the Iraqi people. Our goal is to address the concerns of every segment of society.
This week I have signed a decree requiring our security forces and the Ministry of Justice to safegaurd the constitutional and human rights of detainees inIraqi jails. This includesthe establishment of a central record of all detainees and the legal reason for their arrest including a timescale for their detention and presentation to the courts.  
We have reached an interim agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government that will pave the way for a long-lasting agreement on Iraq’s natural resources. This is an important first step in the right direction, and both we and our Iraqi Kurdish brothers are committed to doing more to put the disagreements of the past behind us.
We have begun to rebuild our security forces in a professional manner, having removed about two dozen generals as part of our efforts to root out corruption and re-energize the military leadership. In order to involve more Iraqis in our common defense, we have made progress on the establishment of a National Guard force. And we are working with the United Nations in order to benefit from the experiences of other countries that utilize similar structures so we can ensure the right solution for Iraq.
In order to guarantee respect for the rule of law, we are working to ensure that all armed groups are brought under state control. Where possible, some individuals from these groups willbe integrated into the Iraqi Security Forces or the National Guard. We affirm our constitutional commitment not to allow any armed group or militia to work outside or in parallelto the Iraqi Security Forces. No arms would be permitted outside the control of the Iraqi Govenment.
As DAESH threatens us all, we see the government of the Kurdistan Region as an essential partner in our struggle, and fully support efforts to train and equip the Kurdish forces to ensure that they can work seamlessly with the Iraqi Security Forces. We will continue to ensure that there are no delays or hold ups in this process and there has never been intentional or procedural delays on our part in this matter.
 
In addition, we are working with the United States and our international partners to train and equip tribal fighters, while incorporating the Popular Mobilization Units into the Iraqi Security Forces.
 
Now let me be clear: Our security forces are in need of comprehensive training and armament. We will need significant support from our friends and partners in these endeavors, and you may rest assured that your assistance will be put to good use, becausewhen we fight back against DAESH, we are fighting not only for the people of Iraq but for all the peoples of the world.
With support from the Coalition and with closer coordination with the Kurdish Peshmerga and every segment of our society, the Iraqi Security Forces and their partners are pushing forward. Together, we have recaptured strategic roads and other locations and liberated entire towns.
We have made this solemn promise to all our people: We will move ahead in our fight to free every inch of our territory and every segment of our citizenry. We will expel the DAESH gangs from our precious land. And we will bring life back to the liberated cities.
On the diplomatic front, we are strengthening our relations with all our neighbors, so that, together, we can more effectively combat our common enemy – DAESH.
In recent weeks, we have established very warm and functioning high level contacts with all our neighbors:Prime Minister and Emir of Kuwait, President Rouhani of Iran, King Abdullah and the Prime Minister of Jordan in Amman, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu and the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Baghdad.
We reachedagreements on strengthening our security and intelligence cooperation to defeat DAESH, as well as deepening our relations in economics, oil, investment, trade, and border control.
Working with these countries and other neighbors, we are developing a common defense against DAESH and a new strategy to address the regional problems that give rise to transnational terrorism.
From reforming our government to reconciling our society, resisting DAESH, and restoring our relationships with our neighbors, Iraq is making every effort to protect its democratic gains.
But the challenges that we face are greater than any nation can address alone. We are combating one of the best-funded, best-organized, and best-equipped transnational terrorist organizations on the face of the Earth. So my message to all of you is: We are doing our part – and we need your help.
On the military front, we need air support, training, armament and capacity-building for Iraq’s security forces. We also need our neighbors and allies to support our struggle to stop the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq. For your sake as well as ours, Iraq must not become the training-ground for terrorists who come from, and will return to, every trouble-spot on Earth.
DAESH receives not only its fighters but also its funding from all across the world. We need the international community, including its financial institutions, to freeze the funding of DAESH and call a halt to the free movement of money and munitions to these transnational terrorists.
Violent extremism is inspired by vicious ideologies. We need our neighbors in the Middle East and North Africa to counter the ideological underpinnings of DAESH.
And we need the world community to help us address the humanitarian crisis that DAESH has caused, so that the refugees from terrorism do not themselves become recruits for yet another round of violent extremism.
The terrorism of DAESH and the civil war in Syria have displaced nearly two million people who are now within our borders. We are in need of humanitarian aid to meet their needs, particularly with winter approaching.
Meanwhile, the areas that we have liberated and those that we will liberate from DAESH need to be rebuilt quickly. In order to encourage the residents to return to their homes, to create jobs, and to tackle some of the causes of the rise of DAESH, we need to establish a reconstruction fund.
Unfortunately, Iraq is in short supply of funds because our oil revenues have declined, due to the fall in oil prices and the end of exports from the North since DAESH took over Mosul. We have dedicated sizeable funds from our budget to these refugees and The United Nations has also carried some of the burden of the humanitarian work. But we need the entire international community’s help to house and heal the wounds of the victims of this violence.
Only by rebuilding a secure and stable Iraq in a secure and stable Middle East can we defeat the transnational terrorists who draw upon discontent and feed on failure. Just as DAESH is our common enemy, defeating DAESH must be our common endeavor.
In this great struggle, the government and people of Iraq are doing everything that we can. And, from your presence and participation here today, I am encouraged that you will, too.
 
Today, we will exchange ideas. Tomorrow and for as long as it takes, we must translate our words into actions.

 
 

The decisions included a call for an international commitment to support Iraq and the efforts of the new Iraqi government.



At least someone took the meet-up seriously.


The State Dept's Brett McGurk did Tweet a photo.




The State Dept release he links to is the one we noted early this morning and it's just more embarrassment.  Specifically this section:



 Participants noted with great alarm the systematic and widespread human rights abuses committed by ISIL/Daesh including, inter alia, crimes against religious and ethnic minority groups and other vulnerable populations. In this regard, participants noted ISIL/Daesh’s systematic use of sexual and gender-based violence in its campaign of terror, and encouraged international efforts addressing these crimes.


I'm sorry, I can't understand the US government when it talks out of its own ass.

What are they saying, human rights abuses?  Gender-based violence?  Campaign of terror?



But the United States government had a chance to stand for human rights and rule of law yesterday but yet again failed that test.  We're referring to the government of Lebanon kidnapping Saja Al Dulaimi and her child.

The woman is/was said to be one of the wives of Islmaic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi whom the US government has placed a $10 million wanted-dead-or-alive bounty on.  Was/is?

Her identity was already in doubt less than 24 hours after she's made the news cycle (and today would be the 11th day of her and her son being held hostage by the military of Lebanon).

The woman is still said to be an Iraqi citizen.  But the government of Iraq is saying she's the sister of Omar Abdul Hamid al-Dulaimi whom they already have in custody.  Al Arabiya quotes Saad Maan, spokesperson for Iraq's Ministry of the Interior , stating that al-Baghdadi has two wives and "there is no wife in the name of Saja al-Dulaimi."

The rule of law was broken and the US government said nothing.
Now details are starting to emerge that the US government wasn't just silent, it was complicit.  The woman was seized with the help of the CIA.
You can't lead anyone to ethical ground by breaking the the basic conventions of human rights.
The Daily Star is reporting that it is not one child being held but three children.


AP was gloating today:

But if she is indeed al-Baghdadi's wife, she could serve as a bargaining chip with Syria-based militants holding some 20 Lebanese security forces captured in a cross-border raid in August. Beirut has been under intense pressure from the families of the captured men to negotiate their release.


Could she be a bargaining chip?
And the child or children as well?
What a proud moment for the rule of law.
Jehtro Mullen (CNN) contributes this:

Not everyone was convinced she would provide a treasure trove of insight into ISIS, though.
Expressing skepticism, a former senior U.S. military official told The New York Times that in the Iraq war, the Americans captured a wife of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader or al Qaeda in Iraq, ISIS' forerunner.
"We got little out of her, and when we sent her back, Zarqawi killed her," the unidentified official told the newspaper.
And since al-Dulaimi was reportedly seized more than a week ago, what intelligence she carried may already have passed its sell-by date.
It's a disgrace as is the silence around it.
As the silence continues grasp that it's easy today to decry what was done to, for example, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.  It's always easy to decry something 10, 20, 30 years in the past or more.
But to speak out when an outrage and an injustice is ongoing?
Too many are scared.
She's married to a terrorist!
I don't care if she is or not.  
Show what's she has done or let her go.
That's how the rule of law works.
And real governments do not hold people as "chips" to trade.
Not only have they failed to prove who she is, they've failed to follow the rule of law.

And how dare they take DNA tests on her children or anyone's children without permission from the parent.


It's easy to stay silent.  It's easy to be a coward.

Look around you, there a ton of them around you right now.

Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 110 people killed in violence in Iraq today with another sixty-seven injured.

Lastly, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America issued the following:




IAVA to deliver 57,000+ petition signatures to Senator Reid calling for immediate Senate vote  


PRESS CONTACT
Gretchen Andersen
Press Secretary
Tel: 212-982-9699


press@iava.org


WHAT: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing post-9/11 veterans and their families, will hold a day of action on Capitol Hill, calling for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to immediately bring the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill to the Senate floor. IAVA veteran members will deliver a petition of more than 57,000 signatures urging Congress to help reverse the trend of 22 veterans dying by suicide every day.

Media is encouraged to attend the press event, which will begin at noon at the Upper Senate Park Fountain before delivering the petition to Senator Reid’s office in the Hart Senate Office Building.

Since early 2014, IAVA has led the fight for lawmakers to address veteran suicide and improve access to mental health care. According to IAVA’s 2014 Member Survey, 47 percent of respondents know at least one Iraq or Afghanistan veteran who has attempted suicide, while 40 percent of respondents know someone who has died by suicide, up three points from 2013.

WHO: IAVA Legislative Director Alex Nicholson
Post-9/11 veterans

WHEN: Thursday, December 4, 2014 at noon

WHERE: Upper Senate Park Fountain, between Delaware Ave., NE, and Constitution Ave.




Note to media: Email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699 to speak with IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA leadership.


Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the nation's first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and has nearly 300,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide. Celebrating its 10th year anniversary, IAVA recently received the highest rating - four-stars - from Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator.


 






Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Punk Ass Michael Franti

Back during the Yell Fire phase, Michael Franti appeared so brave.

He called out the Iraq War, he protested war period.

He called for peace.

But turns out, he had no ethics.

He was just a cheap whore.

Now the cum dump whores for Barack.

Has since 2008.




That's a video where an activist for peace and justice confronts Franti.

Franti made himself a joke.

He betrayed everything to whore for the man behind The Drone War, the man pushing illegal spying, the man attacking both Ed Snowden and Julian Assange, the man who isn't pulling US forces out of Afghanistan, the man who is sending US forces back into Iraq . . .

That's the devil Franti serves, that's the master he kneels before.

Michael Franti is a sick and dirty joke -- and he made himself that.

Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


 
Tuesday, December 2, 2014.  Chaos and violence continue, Margaret Griffis' Antiwar.com Iraq death toll for November is released, Erbil and Baghdad strike a deal, the government of Lebanon kidnaps a woman and her child, and much more.



Well I'm learning
It's peaceful
With a good dog and some trees
Out of touch with the breakdown 
Of this century
They're not going to fix it up
Too easy
-- "Electricity," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her For The Roses


Big News Networks salivates, "In a significant development, the Lebanese army has arrested one of the wives of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al Bakr Al Baghdadi near the border with Syria when they tried to enter the country using fake identity."  The woman is named in some reports as Saja Al Dulaimi.  Some identify her as a Syrian, some as an Iraqi.  All say she was arrested with a child -- some say a boy, some say a girl.  Though only reported today, Gulf Daily News says the arrests took place "10 days ago."

In Iraq today, there are many problems.

One of the biggest is the sense of lawlessness.  For Sunnis, that means their relatives disappear in the so-called justice system.  Security forces show up to arrest Laith al-Mutlaq -- with or without an arrest warrant -- and Laith isn't home but his grandmother is or his wife or his brother or his child or some other relative.  So the security forces haul that person off.

Where did they get that was okay?

Because US military commanders spent the first years of the Iraq War acting like thugs by basically kidnapping women married to Iraqi militants they were seeking.

That was illegal and unethical.

And it set the new Iraqi government down this road.

Very few people objected in real time or since.

The woman who is one of the wives of al-Baghdidi?

If she's done something herself, she should be arrested.

There's no way in the world the child has done anything.

It's doubtful the woman's done anything illegal.


(And in the midst of Barack's amnesty plan, don't try to pull the nonsense of 'she was trying to enter Lebanon illegally!')

The child?  Boy or girl, a DNA test was performed.

I'm doubting seriously that the mother gave permission for that test.

That's another violation.

You can try to pretty it up all you want but these thug actions that should be called out.

If you're not getting it, listen to the boasting that the Oman Tribune reports on:

A Lebanese security source said the arrest was “a powerful card to apply pressure” in negotiations to secure the release of 27 members of the Lebanese security forces captured by militants in August near the Syrian border – a view shared by other Lebanese officials who confirmed the arrest. 


What's taking place is a kidnapping.

These are thug actions.

The US government needs to condemn these actions but it won't.

It will, however, go out of its way to attack the Islamic State for kidnapping women.

I don't care who the woman married, I don't care who she sleeps with.

Unless and until she's broken the law herself, she shouldn't be detained.

Anyone detaining her without just cause based on her actions is a thug who is practicing kidnapping.

This is not acceptable and it is not normal.

The AP attempts to normalize it with paragraphs like this one:

If their identities are confirmed, Lebanon may use the pair as bargaining chips to win the release of soldiers and police taken hostage by the terrorists in cross-border attacks earlier this year.
If tomorrow,  Sarah al-Assam kidnaps Michelle Obama because her husband was killed in one of Barack's Drone War attacks in Lebanon, you better believe the press will express outrage.
And they should.
By the same token whatever Saja Al Dulaimi's husband has done is his responsibility.

If she's done nothing and the government of Lebanon is kidnapping her and attempting to use her hostage status as a bargaining chip, that is illegal and it is unethical and it must be called out.

Refusal to do so?

We've already seen how this ends.

It became normal in Iraq because so very few of us had the guts to call it out.

You either call out what's being done to Saja Al Dulaimi.or you accept that it's now the normal.

Don't look to the US State Dept to stand up for human rights.  From today's State Dept press briefing moderated by spokesperson Marie Harf.

QUESTION: Were you able to confirm if the Lebanese army really called the wife – one of the wives of the head of ISIL?

MS. HARF: I don’t think – let me see what I have on this. I know there have been a number of reports on this. Given this was an operation by the Government of Lebanon, I’d refer you to them for more information. I know there are a lot of conflicting reports about who they may have taken into custody, but they’ll have the most updated facts. I can’t confirm independently facts for you.

QUESTION: But if it’s true, what’s the importance of this development?

MS. HARF: Well, we’ll see if it’s true. Okay.



In Brussels today, the US Secretary of State John Kerry performed only slightly better than Maria Harf:


MS. PSAKI: The next question will be from Carol Morello of The Washington Post.

QUESTION: After all your discussions today with various representatives about the need for countries to pull their own weight, can you finally tell us whether you have secured any concrete commitments that the United States has long sought for all these countries to send enough troops to Afghanistan and soon, so the burden does not fall disproportionately on the United States again? And on a related matter, when you sit down tomorrow with the Iraqi foreign minister, is the United States prepared to offer any additional aid beyond what has already been announced?
And lastly, would the United States approve --

SECRETARY KERRY: When we sit down with whom?

QUESTION: With the foreign minister of Iraq. Mr. --

PARTICIPANT: Prime minister.

QUESTION: Excuse me, the prime minister of Iraq, Mr. Abadi. Would the United States approve if Lebanon decides to take the wife and son of al-Baghdadi and offer them as a prisoner swap for hostages held by ISIL?


SECRETARY KERRY: With respect to your last question, I’m just – I’m not – I don’t think we engage in that kind of negotiation, period. But I’m not up to speed. I don’t have the details of what the circumstances are, who’s holding who. I saw a news flash earlier on this. I don’t have all the input on it, so I’m not going to comment further with respect to that, except that we don’t negotiate, and I think people know that.


Meanwhile, who knew the State Dept's Brett McGurk was an Alanis Morissette fan?

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

-- "Ironic," written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, first appears on Alanis'  Jagged Little Pill.

Brett must be a huge fan of the song.  While else, on the day the government of Lebanon is in the news for kidnapping a woman and her child, would Brett Tweet the following:





About the oil deal, the following was posted to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's website today:

In today’s session, the Council of Ministers decided to approve the agreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government by the Prime Minister of the Federal Government Dr. Haider Al Abadi and the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, which states that Iraqi oil belongs to all Iraqis, and the Kurdistan Region will provide at least 250 thousand barrels of oil per day to the federal government for the purpose of export.

The agreement also includes exporting 300 thousand barrels per day by the federal Government from the Kirkuk oil fields through the oil pipeline in the province of Kurdistan.

It has also been agreed to allocate a proportion of the financial allocations of the federal land forces of the Iraqi army to the Peshmerga forces according to the population ratio as part of the Iraqi security system.



And the State Dept's Marie Harf released the following statement:

We congratulate the Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Governments on reaching a broad agreement on revenue management and oil exports originating from the Iraq Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk. This resolution, in line with its constitution, allows all Iraqis to benefit equitably from Iraq’s hydrocarbon sector. This agreement will further strengthen both Iraq’s Federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government as they work together to defeat ISIL.


Dan Murphy (Christian Science Monitor) hails the agreement as "a rare and long-awaited sign of compromise."  Susannah George (McClatchy Newspapers) offers this possibility, "The deal potentially could resolve a long-standing dispute that earlier this year had the Kurds threatening to schedule a vote on independence, a move that would have possibly led to the breakup of the country at the same time that the Islamic State had seized much of northern and central Iraq."

The news allows US outlets (and others) to 'cover' Iraq while ignoring the United Nations nonsense yesterday.  Yes, their embarrassing monthly death toll.  Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 5,640 dead from violence and 2,574 left injured for the month of November. For today, she counts 205 dead and twenty-nine more injured.

In big news every outlet appears to be ignoring (it's okay, Marie Harf also failed to sell it in today's State Dept press briefing), there's a big meet-up tomorrow.  AFP reports, "US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday hosts the first high-level meeting of the 60-member coalition trying to crush the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group." At least AFP's covering it.






This is the effort Barack supposedly wanted, work on the political solution he stated was the only answer to the violence in Iraq.  But while he started bombing Iraq in August, this meet-up waits until December?

And on top of that, they downplay it.

Well, why not?

The White House has had so many 'successes' in Iraq, right?

Asked in October to identify one, Susan Rice insisted the rescue of the Yazidis on Mount Sinjar.

The rescue of the Yazidis on Mount Sinjar.

















  • No, they weren't rescued.  The White House lost interest.

    Barack really struggles with the whole stay focused issue.





    New content at Third:


    That went up late Sunday and I never noted it.  So let me note it now before I forget.

    Lastly, David Bacon's latest book is The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration.  We'll close with this from Bacon's photo essay "FIESTA IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE - DANCERS"



    SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE (9/29/14) -- For three days during the town fiesta of San Miguel de Allende indigenous dance groups converge here, and dance through the streets from morning until late at night.  Costumes celebrate everything from religious symbols to mythologized history to a common bond with the culture of native peoples north of the U.S. border.  Almost 40% of San Miguel residents are Otomi and 20% Nahua, but the dances are performed by groups from all over Mexico.

    Indigenous people in Izcuinapan, the original native community located here, had a long history of resistance to the Spanish colonizers.  Guamare and Chichimeca people attacked the first Spanish settlement, and the Spanish viceroy was eventually forced to recognize a limited independence for the indigenous people here. 



    We'll note Bacon's photo essay again but I can't find it online currently.  When we note it again, we'll include a link.  (You can also try Googling and might have more luck than I have.)  For more on David Bacon see:



    THE REALITY CHECK - David Bacon blog
    http://davidbaconrealitycheck.blogspot.com


    EN LOS CAMPOS DEL NORTE:  Farm worker photographs on the U.S./Mexico border wall
    http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=fc67a76dbb9c31aaee896aff7&id=0644c65ae5&e=dde0321ee7
    Youtube interview about the show with Alfonso Caraveo (Spanish)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJeE1NO4c_M&feature=youtu.be

    The Real News:  Putting off Immigration Reform Angers Grassroots Activists
    http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12352

    David Bacon Interviews Dyanna Taylor, Granddaughter of Documentary Photographer Dorothea Lange
    https://soundcloud.com/kpfa-fm-94-1-berkeley/dyanna-taylor-on-her-grandmother-dorothea-lange

    David Bacon radio review of the movie, Cesar Chavez
    https://soundcloud.com/kpfa-fm-94-1-berkeley/upfronts-david-bacon-reviews-film-on-cesar-chavez-and-the-grape-strike

    Interviews with David Bacon about his new book, The Right to Stay Home:

    Book TV: A presentation of the ideas in The Right to Stay Home at the CUNY Graduate Center

    http://booktv.org/Watch/14961/The+Right+to+Stay+Home+How+US+Policy+Drives+Mexican+Migration.aspx

    KPFK - Uprisings with Sonali Kohatkar
    http://uprisingradio.org/home/2013/09/27/the-right-to-stay-home-how-us-policy-drives-mexican-migration/

    KPFA - Upfront with Brian Edwards Tiekert
    https://soundcloud.com/kpfa-fm-94-1-berkeley/david-bacon-on-upfront-9-20

    Photoessay:  My Studio is the Street
    http://artofthecommune.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/my-studio-is-the-street-photoessay-by-david-bacon/

    Photoessay:  Mexico City marches against NAFTA and to protect its oil and electricity
    http://desinformemonos.org/2014/02/veinte-anos-de-tlc-veinte-anos-de-resistencia/

    Nativo Lopez dialogues with David Bacon on Radio Hermandad
    http://radiohermandad.blogspot.com

    The Real News:  Immigration Reform Requires Dismantling NAFTA and Respecting Migrants' Rights/ Immigrant Communities Resist Deportations
    http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10938
    http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10933




    the christian science monitor