Wally called me today at 4:50 pm and goes, "Do not call C.I." I was just about to. Wally had to find out about the snapshot which wasn't up and C.I. was on two phones and trying to pull the snapshot together. Reading it I see why and I also see it's long. Which isn't a complaint, it's packed with information but C.I. is really trying to do these in an hour or less. Jess goes they were barely off the plane when the phone rang and C.I. ended up going to the airport lobby and hauling out the laptop. The last of us left DC this morning and that was after we'd all cleaned up the place because it was a mess. Rebecca will tell that story. But we were all rushing and C.I. said, "I am spending thirty minutes on the snapshot, no more." :D I knew it would be longer.
A lot is going on. You got Darrell Anderson coming back to the United States Saturday and the army refusing to meet their deadline for the budget and three officers calling for Rumsfeld resignation and so much more. Jess goes when C.I. finished it, it was only because Jim was pointing out the time and that there four more things C.I. was trying to fit into it. Wally goes C.I. told him that the snapshot would be e-mailed and to tell me that. It was e-mailed because then it's easier to copy and paste. Easier for the rest of us. Even though it was e-mailed though, that didn't work. Which is cool but I'm not breaking up those tags at the end. Check out Like Maria Said Paz for Elaine's thoughts -- she says she's really tired and don't expect much.
I'm tired so I'll just say that you need to be talking up Darrell Anderson. He needs support and he's coming back on Saturday. And was waiting on e-mail. Okay, here are the things there wasn't time to include in the snapshot.
This is from Kim Barker and James Janega's "She was 52 when Afghan bomb struck:"
The older soldiers called themselves the Gray Brigade, but Sgt. 1st Class Merideth Howard never talked about her age. Soon, no one asked.
In training, the Waukesha, Wis., resident ran as hard as men much younger. She became a gunner on a Humvee at this small military base, building a wooden box to stand on so she could see over the turret.
52 years old and dead in Afghanistan. If the military wasn't so stretched with Bully Boy's illegal war in Iraq, maybe they wouldn't need to send fifty-two year olds into dangerous situations? Think about that as you read this is from Jim Miklaszewski's "Answering the call -- again and again:"
A senior military official tells NBC News that five years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the Army to a dangerous breaking point.
For the Army, the pace of combat has been relentless. Many soldiers are already on their third combat tour. Frequent deployments have cut training time at home in half, which has left two-thirds of all Army combat units rated "not ready for combat."
"I think, arguably, it's the worst readiness condition the U.S. Army has faced since the end of Vietnam," says NBC military analyst and retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey.
And with all the news coming out (bad news for Bully Boy -- and for America but he's the cause), what better way to get people thinking about something else than declaring war on Iran? This is from Gary Hart's "The October Surprise:"
It should come as no surprise if the Bush Administration undertakes a preemptive war against Iran sometime before the November election.
Were these more normal times, this would be a stunning possibility, quickly dismissed by thoughtful people as dangerous, unprovoked, and out of keeping with our national character. But we do not live in normal times.
And we do not have a government much concerned with our national character. If anything, our current Administration is out to remake our national character into something it has never been.
The steps will be these: Air Force tankers will be deployed to fuel B-2 bombers, Navy cruise missile ships will be positioned at strategic points in the northern Indian Ocean and perhaps the Persian Gulf, unmanned drones will collect target data, and commando teams will refine those data. The latter two steps are already being taken.
Then the president will speak on national television. He will say this: Iran is determined to develop nuclear weapons; if this happens, the entire region will go nuclear; our diplomatic efforts to prevent this have failed; Iran is offering a haven to known al Qaeda leaders; the fate of our ally Israel is at stake; Iran persists in supporting terrorism, including in Iraq; and sanctions will have no affect (and besides they are for sissies). He will not say: ...and besides, we need the oil.
Thanks to C.I. for passing those on, and here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Monday, September 25, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, the US military fatality count crosses another marker with little attention, Iran continues to be the focus for Bully Boy's continued war lust, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gets a blistering critique, the 1st Brigade of 1st Armored Division learns that promises of returning home are meaningless as their tour of duty in Iraq gets an extension, war resister Darrell Anderson continues to prepare for his return to the United States, in England Tony Blair comes under criticism from both a would-be-prime-minister and his sister-in-law, and the much trumpeted digital images of of Australian troops playing "cowboy" do not include photos or footage of Jake Kovco.
After being awarded the Purple Heart and returning from Iraq, Darrell Anderson was informed he was being redeployed to Iraq. Anderson elected to self-check out from the military in January 2005 and went to Canada. Earlier this month Anita Anderson confirmed to the press that her son was considering returning to the United States. Darrell Anderson was on a delayed honeymoon with Gail Greer (whom he met when she was part of a team making a documentary on war resisters). (The documentary was Albert Nerenberg's Escape to Canada.)Anderson spoke with Jim Warren (Lexington Herald-Leader) for an article published Saturday where he confirmed that he was returning to the United States at the end of this month (Saturday), explained his reasons for the decision and stated, "I decided that I've got to go back and get this over with once and for all, instead of living in limbo up here forever." Today, Natalie Pona (Toronto Sun) reports that Anderson has again stressed that his decision does not mean the end of his war resistance and that Anderson explained, "To go back and do my prison sentence would just give me freedom. I just want to get in my uniform, go to trial and stand there and tell them I won't participate in their war." Anderson will hold a press conference when at the border and, if not immediately arrested once returning to the US, he will next go to Fort Knox to turn himself in. More information, on Anderson and other war resisters, can be found at Courage to Resist. For the context of Anderson's decision, see Ruth's Report and for the need to speak out see The Third Estate Sunday Review's "Editorial: Darrell Anderson Needs You." Anita Anderson has stated she intends to be outside Fort Knox demonstrating her support for her son's stance. As Troy Garity notes in David Zieger's documentary Sir! No Sir!, ". . . in the summer of 68 as thousands of supporters protested the jailing of the Presido 27, the G.I. movement had arrived." Those who learned of Camilo Mejia's brave stand, or Aidan Delgado, or Pablo Paredes, or any other war resisters after the fact can make a difference now by showing their support for Darrell Anderson as well as Ehren Watada, the first comission officer to publicly refuse to serve in Iraq who awaits the military's decision on their next course of action as the Article 32 finding of his case winds its way through the military structure. Ricky Clousing who turned himself in at the start of last month has been charged with desertion and there's no word yet on any charges against Mark Wilkerson who turned himself in at the end of last month. Both war resisters elected to self-check out of the military.
On Sunday, Mark Mazzetti (New York Times) reported on the National Intelligence Estimate entitled "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States ("represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government") which, Mazzetti reports, "asserts that Islamic radicalism, rather than being in retreat, has metastasized and spread across the globe" and "cites the Iraq war as a reason for the diffusion of jihad ideology." Safer but not safe, once claimed the Bully Boy. As Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) reported, "The NIE . . . coincides with public statements by senior intelligence officials describing a different kind of conflict than the one outlined by President Bush in a series of recent speeches marking the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks." CBS' Bill Plante summarized the points of the NIE as follows:
*The U.S. presence in Iraq is providing new recruits for militant Islam.
*The movement has spread and is now "self-generating."
*While inspired by al Qaeda, the radical movement is no longer directly tied to Osama bin Laden.
*Because of the Internet, the radical Islamist movement is more connected and no longer isolated.
The reporting on the NIE follows a number of recent reports including Harper's magazine and IPS's reports from last week. For Harper's, Ken Silverstein interviewed, former CIA veteran (15 years) and former head of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program, Dr. Emile A. Nakhleh who noted that Iraq war has resulted in the loss of "a generation of good will in the Muslim world" and stated, "There's a civil war in Iraq and our presence is contributing to the violence. We've become a lightening rod -- we're not restricting the violence, we're contributing to it. Iraq has galvanized jihadists; our presence is what is attracting them. We need to get out of there." Noting that interview, Jim Lobe (IPS) also connected Nakhleh's statements to Paul Pillar's Foreign Affairs (periodical of the Council on Foreign Relations) essay at the start of this year following Pillar's retirement from the CIA in 2005. Lobe notes that Pillar addressed the issue of "the [intelligence] communiy had warned policymakers before the Iraq invasion that the war and occupation would 'boost political Islam and increase sympathy for terrorists' objectives' and that a 'deeply divided Iraqi society' would likely erupt into 'violent conflict' unless the occupation authority 'established security and put Iraq on the road to prosperity in the first few weeks or months after the fall of Saddam (Hussein).'" Obviously, that did not happen.
Meanwhile Australia's ABC reports the NIE's impact in Australia which has led the Federal Opposition demanding that John Howard (the country's prime minister) "come clean about the effects of the war in Iraq" and "Labor's foreign affairs spokesman, Kevin Rudd, . . . [saying] Mr. Howard should release the Australian intelligence agencies' findings about the war. 'Let's have some honesty in the debate,' he [Rudd] said." This as, in England, the would-be-prime-minister Gordon Brown, dubbed the second most powerful man in British government -- Chancellor of the Exchequer, Labour party and wanna-be-prime minister in waiting, makes noises of his own. AFX News reports that Brown stated today that"while there must be scope for emergency action, it is in my view right that in future, a parliament, not the executive, makes the final decisions on matters as important as peace and war." On Sunday, as reported by Great Britain's Socialist Worker, Tony Blair's sister-in-law, Lauren Booth, was among over 60,000 participating Saturday in the Time to Go Rally in Manchester and that Booth was chanting, "Yo Blair -- it's time to go, Blair." (The report was written by Anindya Bhattacharyya.) And today, AFP reports, the White House via mouthpiece Tony Snow finally admitted that the Iraq war "fuel[s] the spread of jihadism".
And the chaos and violence continues in Iraq.
Bombings?
AP reports that a bombing in Ramadi claimed the lives of seven police officers and left seven more wounded. Reuters reports three police officers dead (and ten wounded) in Jurf al-Sakhar after an attack involving "[m]ortar rounds and a suicide truck bomber"; while in Yathrib a man is dead and his daughter wounded after "[a] mortar round landed near" his home.
Shootings?
AP reports that an attack on a police station in Musayyib left one police officer dead and six more wounded. Reuters notes a translator for the US military was shot dead in Najaf on Sunday; that an Iraqi soldier died today from gun shot wounds received Sunday in Balad.
Corpses?
Reuters reports that nine severed heads were discovered this weekend in Baiji and an additional one today -- "the decapitatated head of a police lieutenant, Sameer Hazim" while, near Baiji, an Iraqi soldier's corpse was discovered Sunday.
Today, the US military has announced the death of another US soldier who was today "near Mosul" and died later from his wounds. This follows Sunday's passing the 2700 mark for US troops killed in Iraq and the Army's claim (see above) that they are underfunded. Reuters reports that the 147,000 American troops in Iraq are seen by the military as insufficient and that, in addition to extending tours of duty, "The Army also is considering accelerating the deployments for some brigades in a move to try to stop sectarian violence among Sunnis and Shi'ites in Baghdad, the newspaper [Washington Times] reported, citing Pentagon officials."
Extending tours of duty? No, not the 172 Stryker Brigade. They were already extended when they should have been returning home in August. AP reports that the 1st Brigade of 1st Armored Division "will be kept in place for several weeks beyond their scheduled departure," that the families were notified of this today, and that the Brigade is comprised of an estimated 4,000 soldiers who are currently serving "in the vinicinty of Ramadi".
The extension comes as US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld faces a new round of criticism for his handling of his official responsibilities. AP reports that, in "a hearing by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, Major General John R. S. Batiste stated "I believe that Secretary Rumsfeld and others in the administration did not tell the American people the truth [regarding Iraq] for fear of losing support for the war in Iraq" and that Major General Paul Eaton declared Rumsfeld to be "incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically," therefore, "Mr. Rumsfeld and his immediate team must be replaced or we will see two more years of extraordinary bad decision-making." Safer but not safe, claims the Bully Boy. Reuters reports that Batiste declared in the hearing today, "America [is] arguably less safe now than it was on September 11, 2001" as a result of the Iraq war. William Branigin (Washington Post) reports that Batiste and Eaton were joined by "retired Marine Col. Thomas X. Hammes" in calling for Rumsfeld's resignation and that all three served in Iraq and quotes Hammes stating, "While asking major sacrifices, to include the ultimate sacrifice, from those Americans who are serving in Iraq, we are not even asking our fellow citizens to pay for the war. Instead we are charging it to our children and grandchildren."
Meanwhile, Greg Zoroya (USA Today) reports that living wills are a new issue of concern to the US Army as "[a] growing number of troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe brain damage" -- an estimated "250 troops who returned from war with head wounds that left them -- at least initially -- comatose or unable to care for themselves or respond to people. Brain injuries, most from roadside bombs, are the signature wound of the Iraq war."
Apparently the Bully Boy's Blood Lust cannot be satisfied because war with Iran appears to be next on the agenda. Norman Solomon (Common Dreams) examines how the media is covering (covering up?) the probably attack. And on Sunday, Ray McGovern spoke in San Francisco. Robert B. Livingston (San Francisco Bay Area Media) reports that McGovern stated his belief in Bully Boy launching a strike (bombing) on Iran before the November elections and why: "McGovern described an administration desperate to protect itself from justice. If Democrats win a majority in Congress impeachment proceedings against the president, for example, could actually proceed (irrespective of Rep. Nancy Pelosi's vow that impeachment is "off the table"). McGovern cited Bush's low popularity poll ratings as a major concern to those advising Bush, and alluded to how the administration hasn't hesitated to use other crises as a convenient way to capitalize on American's propensity to stand behind their government. " Noting the actions of Cindy Sheehan, CODEPINK and others, McGovern stated, "Women in this country have all the guts. We don't need good girls like Nancy Pelosi. We need strong women like Cindy Sheehan."
Last week, CODEPINK and NOW co-sponsored a Women's Day of Peace in Washington, DC atCamp Democracy. Feminist Wire Daily reports that Olga Vives, vice-president of NOW, addressed the issue of what's beeing cut (domestic programs for women and children) to pay for this war and NOW president Kim Gandy's remarks that "The violence in Iraq has already cost too many lives. Service members and civilians are dying every day in a conflict initiated by George W. Bush. Women must now come together and work toward ending the violence -- a goal that the US government seems incapable of accomplishing."
On the issue Olga Vives was addressing, the costs of the war are estimated to currently be $317, 400,000,000. A running counter can be found at Tom Hayden's website. The counter is a feature provided by the National Priorities Project and, on their site, US citizens can look at how the cost of the illegal war impacts their own areas as well as see how the cost short changes various programs. The costs continue to rise. As Peter Spiegel reports (Los Angeles Times) the US Army's General Peter J. Schoomaker made the decision to ignore the August 15th deadline for presenting the Army's 2008 budget plan to the Pentagon "after protesting to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that the service could not maintain its current level of activity in Iraq plus its other global commitments without billions in additional funding. The decision . . . is believed to be unprecedented and signals a widespread belief within the Army that in absence of significant troop withdrawals from Iraq, funding assumptions must be completely reworked, say current and former Pentagon officals."
In Australia, news of the digital images of Australian soldiers handling their fire arms in a manner that wasn't seen as professional came as the inquiry into the April 21st Baghdad death of Jake Kovco was winding down. The press was full of speculation that images of Jake Kovco were among the images shocking that nation -- discovered images which were certainly timed well. In the hearing, there was talk of Jake Kovco being a "cowboy" and playing with his gun. The talk had no supporting evidence and the witnesses (including one of Kovco's former roommates) spoke of "hearing" of their claims, not seeing it themselves. Whom did they hear it from? No names were given and the inquiry was apparently comfortable with that. As the issue of digital images showing Australian troops possibly mishandling fire arms continues to be reported by the Australian press, Jake Kovco's name comes up repeatedly. However, The West Australian reports Jake Kovco will not among those pictured because "[t]he internet images relate to the period 2003-05, long before Pte Kovco's unit was in that theatre".
In legal news, Reuters reports that three of the "Pendelton Eight" will face murder charges with the possiblity of, if found guilty, facing the death penalty for the April 26 death, in Hamdania,of Hashim Ibrahim Awad who was allegedly taken from his home, shot dead and a weapon placed near his body after. The three looking at the prospect of the death penalty if found guilty are John Jodka, Marshall Magincalda and Jerry Shumate. Meanwhile, CBS reports that footage believed to show the deaths of US soldiers Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker had been posted online by a group claiming to be The Mujahedeen Shura Council and that a subtitle in the video footage reads: "The two soldiers belong to the same brigade of the soldier who raped our sister in Mahmoudiya." That is in reference to Abeer Qassim al-Janabi (who CBS names, unlike the New York Times) who was raped and killed -- also killed were her parents Qassim Hamza Raheem and Fakhriya Taha Muhasen and her five-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza -- on March12, 2006 in the town of Mahmoudiyah. On the rapes and deaths, CBS notes: "The U.S military has charged four soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division -- Spc. James P. Barker, Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman and Pfc. Bryan L. Howard -- in the March 12 alleged rape and murder of 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe is accused of failing to report the attack but is not alleged to have been a direct participant. A fifth suspect, Pfc. Steven D. Green, was discharged from the army because of a 'personality disorder' before the allegations became known. He has pleaded not guilty to rape and murder charges and is being held in a civilian court in the United States."
In US election news, Dave Collins (AP) reports that War Hawk Down Joe Lieberman, who had earlier made concilatory noises to war critics, is back in Hawk drag and denouncing Democratic candidate for US Senate out of Conn. Ned Lamont's endorsement of a timeline for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is "doomed to fail" (apparently like Lieberman's own bid for the Democratic nomination this go round) and would "weaken our security" (meaning that he's so busy thinking up smears, he's missed Sunday and Mondays newspapers -- see above for the NIE report). This comes as Joshua Frank (CounterPunch) reports that War Hawk Up Maria Cantwell has a campaign staff doing strange things including, reportedly, attempting to bribe Green opponent (and anti-war candidate) Aaron Dixon if he would bow out of the race. Frank reports: "As Dixon tells it, 'Mark [Wilson] called and basically told me that a lot of people have a lot of money within the Cantwell campaign, and he said that they could put on a fundraiser for Central House that would "blow my mind". He called a week later and basically told me the same thing. I didn't bite, ending this war is too important'."
Finally, Cindy Sheehan (at BuzzFlash) notes that Bully Boy stated on air to Wolf Blitzer: "Yes, you see - you see it on TV, and that's the power of an enemy that is willing to kill innocent people. But there's also an unbelievable will and resiliency by the Iraqi people.... Admittedly, it seems like a decade ago. I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is - my point is, there's a strong will for democracy." Of that idiotic statement, Sheehan writes: "That is 125 commas.With 2701 of our children killed and over 20,000 injured, I would have to type 182 lines filled with commas. Then, if we take in to account the low figure of 100,000 innocent Iraqis killed, I would need pages of commas."
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Monday, September 25, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
War comes to class
This is a quick post and consider it an "extra" :D. I'm starving. We're about to get something to eat and then start working on The Third Estate Sunday Review. But I wanted to grab a few seconds to talk about today because it was my favorite day.
Community members know the ninth grade member in the DC area who wrote the thing for Polly's Brew two Sundays ago. C.I. told him that we'd be in the area this week and if he could get at least ten people we'd all get together and do a "How To Talk About The War" thing. He got together thirty-five friends.
I'm out of high school (big college man now! :D) and I was a loudmouth in high school so I've never had a problem shooting off my mouth! (Can't you tell!) But there are people who do have trouble sharing and there are people who are becoming aware of the war and need help with their first steps. So we did a thing where we all talked and shared and there were some presentations too. Tracey, Wally and me had worked on one and that went really good.
I never trembled before a teacher. If they were full of crap, I blew 'em off. But that's me. Jayson acted out the part of a student in one excercise with Betty acting as the teacher and then we broke up into groups and that was really cool too.
Me, I think the war can be brought into any class (even algebra) but it sure shouldn't be off limits in classes like history, social studies and government. Elaine had a thing about you could note the war in English classes. (And gave credit to C.I., who she and Rebecca went to college with, because C.I. could always follow the course outline and required reading but not to stick to it. Supplement it. You're studying poetry, this was one of Elaine's examples, compare and contrast the poem studied with something from Poets Against the War or Alice Walker's Sent By Earth or, she had a whole long list. For novels and stuff too.)
So that was just really great. I'll call the ninth grader "DC," so DC and his friends had a blast and we had a blast. And it's all these concrete things that can be used and we talked about non-concrete things too. It was really great to hear their stories. Forget war coming home, it's coming to class! (That's a steal from DC's best bud.)
Only problem was we had to start so early. Which was good because it gives us time for this edition but I was a sleepy-head (Ma's nice word for it) and really couldn't wake up this morning.
Nobody could wake me up. C.I. ended up playing White Stripes "Seven Army Nation" (at full blast) and that woke me up. :D
Woke me up with a smile on my face. Everybody goes I woke up before, over and over, but kept going back to sleep. I think it's because we've been so busy. (I'm not coming down with anything.)
Other beef, I slept so late, I missed breakfast. I was hopping in the shower and out and pulling on some pants before "Seven Army Nation" was over. And, C.I., sunflower kernals are not food! :D I was starving and mentioned that at about eleven o'clock. C.I. goes "I've got some food" and passes me a bag of sunflower kernals. :D Not food! Cedric had a Snickers he was kind enough to turn over after I wolfed down the kernals.
Okay, we're about to go eat so let me say, you gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta read Ruth's Report. Go read it now! :D Also there's more news on Darrell Anderson today so read C.I.'s thing. Darrell Anderson is an Iraq vet (with a Purple Heart) who went to Canada. He's decided he's coming back to the US at the end of the month.
I haven't read C.I.'s first thing this morning but Jim thinks C.I. was to nice (I'm sure that's true). A visitor wrote in to gripe that C.I. was repeating the myth of a tribal agreement to help the US in Al Anbar Province and C.I. nicely walked through the guy through. C.I.'s argument was that the visitor had discovered Dahr Jamail and that was a good thing. But I agree with Jim if you've got someone screaming at you in an e-mail (Jess read the e-mail and it was screaming) about how you didn't cover something and won't cover it (and even about how there's no link to Dahr's website when there is and has been since like The Common Ills went up), you don't respond so nicely.
But C.I.'s argument was, "Thank God there's one more person who cares about the war." And I can see that and each person who wakes up to the realities of the illegal war can and does make a difference. But I would have added in there something like, "Hey dumb ass, Dahr's great but his site is linked, he's probably had stuff he wrote or said highlighted here at least 300 times and we covered this thing at the start of the week!" (Which is why I could never be the voice of a community! :D). Instead C.I. walks the visitor through nicely (and slowly to make sure the point got through).
Dahr's article is great, "AP Propaganda About Iraq," and has some really strong stuff in it so it would have been highlighted anyway (and that was Jim's point, just highlight it because a member already noted it, don't waste time on someone who can't even grasp the obvious). But C.I. goes "Well we just touched on it, Dahr explored it and maybe that's what had the visitor so upset." (In "NYT: Caught in the spin.") No, the visitor was upset because he didn't read the site or even look at the links before rushing to his conclusion. But I get C.I.'s point and it is good that someone's just getting passionate about the war. So good for that visitor.
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Community members know the ninth grade member in the DC area who wrote the thing for Polly's Brew two Sundays ago. C.I. told him that we'd be in the area this week and if he could get at least ten people we'd all get together and do a "How To Talk About The War" thing. He got together thirty-five friends.
I'm out of high school (big college man now! :D) and I was a loudmouth in high school so I've never had a problem shooting off my mouth! (Can't you tell!) But there are people who do have trouble sharing and there are people who are becoming aware of the war and need help with their first steps. So we did a thing where we all talked and shared and there were some presentations too. Tracey, Wally and me had worked on one and that went really good.
I never trembled before a teacher. If they were full of crap, I blew 'em off. But that's me. Jayson acted out the part of a student in one excercise with Betty acting as the teacher and then we broke up into groups and that was really cool too.
Me, I think the war can be brought into any class (even algebra) but it sure shouldn't be off limits in classes like history, social studies and government. Elaine had a thing about you could note the war in English classes. (And gave credit to C.I., who she and Rebecca went to college with, because C.I. could always follow the course outline and required reading but not to stick to it. Supplement it. You're studying poetry, this was one of Elaine's examples, compare and contrast the poem studied with something from Poets Against the War or Alice Walker's Sent By Earth or, she had a whole long list. For novels and stuff too.)
So that was just really great. I'll call the ninth grader "DC," so DC and his friends had a blast and we had a blast. And it's all these concrete things that can be used and we talked about non-concrete things too. It was really great to hear their stories. Forget war coming home, it's coming to class! (That's a steal from DC's best bud.)
Only problem was we had to start so early. Which was good because it gives us time for this edition but I was a sleepy-head (Ma's nice word for it) and really couldn't wake up this morning.
Nobody could wake me up. C.I. ended up playing White Stripes "Seven Army Nation" (at full blast) and that woke me up. :D
Woke me up with a smile on my face. Everybody goes I woke up before, over and over, but kept going back to sleep. I think it's because we've been so busy. (I'm not coming down with anything.)
Other beef, I slept so late, I missed breakfast. I was hopping in the shower and out and pulling on some pants before "Seven Army Nation" was over. And, C.I., sunflower kernals are not food! :D I was starving and mentioned that at about eleven o'clock. C.I. goes "I've got some food" and passes me a bag of sunflower kernals. :D Not food! Cedric had a Snickers he was kind enough to turn over after I wolfed down the kernals.
Okay, we're about to go eat so let me say, you gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta read Ruth's Report. Go read it now! :D Also there's more news on Darrell Anderson today so read C.I.'s thing. Darrell Anderson is an Iraq vet (with a Purple Heart) who went to Canada. He's decided he's coming back to the US at the end of the month.
I haven't read C.I.'s first thing this morning but Jim thinks C.I. was to nice (I'm sure that's true). A visitor wrote in to gripe that C.I. was repeating the myth of a tribal agreement to help the US in Al Anbar Province and C.I. nicely walked through the guy through. C.I.'s argument was that the visitor had discovered Dahr Jamail and that was a good thing. But I agree with Jim if you've got someone screaming at you in an e-mail (Jess read the e-mail and it was screaming) about how you didn't cover something and won't cover it (and even about how there's no link to Dahr's website when there is and has been since like The Common Ills went up), you don't respond so nicely.
But C.I.'s argument was, "Thank God there's one more person who cares about the war." And I can see that and each person who wakes up to the realities of the illegal war can and does make a difference. But I would have added in there something like, "Hey dumb ass, Dahr's great but his site is linked, he's probably had stuff he wrote or said highlighted here at least 300 times and we covered this thing at the start of the week!" (Which is why I could never be the voice of a community! :D). Instead C.I. walks the visitor through nicely (and slowly to make sure the point got through).
Dahr's article is great, "AP Propaganda About Iraq," and has some really strong stuff in it so it would have been highlighted anyway (and that was Jim's point, just highlight it because a member already noted it, don't waste time on someone who can't even grasp the obvious). But C.I. goes "Well we just touched on it, Dahr explored it and maybe that's what had the visitor so upset." (In "NYT: Caught in the spin.") No, the visitor was upset because he didn't read the site or even look at the links before rushing to his conclusion. But I get C.I.'s point and it is good that someone's just getting passionate about the war. So good for that visitor.
the common ills
the third estate sunday review
like maria said paz
mikey likes it
cedrics big mix
the daily jot
thomas friedman is a great man
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
trinas kitchen
dahr jamail
darrell anderson
ruths report
Friday, September 22, 2006
Who the hell is Alastair Paulin and how did he get so stupid?
Friday and lots of fun today and tonight. But I heard about Alastair Paulin who's with Mother Jones and doesn't that just about say it all -- the kind-of muckraker. Kind-of because while Mark Crispin Miller and Harper's were left to explore the 2004 vote, Mother Jones went for bitchy little unsourced note to readers. So little Alastair Paulin, who a reporter at an event tonight described as "a Ken doll with additional chins," does the sort of crap we can always expect for Mother Jones (and it's why "Toad" is so tight with the Moth-Jo gang -- I won't call it "MoJo") he rushes in to praise Dexy Filkins. Here's a quote from the non-thinking press critic
Alastair Paulin: "Dexter Filkins, who has done terrific reporting for the New York Times from Iraq, recently said that 98 percent of Iraq, including most of Baghdad, is now off-limits to Western journalists, a startling figure that begs the question of why reports from Iraq don't include such a disclaimer." Really, Filky has done such a great job?
When was that? Before or after the Washington Post outed him as the first speed number on the military's propaganda phone? Was that before or after a female reporter outed his 'techinques' of refusing to cover any topic that brought a frown to the face of the US military?
Was that before or after he wrote about all the pretty colors in the bombs destroying Falluja?
You have to be pretty stupid and wake up pretty late to praise Dexter Filkins. (Rebecca's tackling another piece of shit who did the same today.) Apparently, Alastair Paulin's never read Filkins, never heard Dahr Jamail speak about Filky's 'reporting' and knows nothing really but that, on Wednesday, he stumbled across an Editor & Publisher report. Community members know it too. Only they didn't have to wait until Wednesday of this week. They heard it about last Friday when C.I. wrote "Post-Gazette editorializes it's time to leave, Dexy Rats Out:"
Oh, how brave he is. When he's not churning out sob stories or rewriting press releases or being the US military's go-to-guy for propaganda. (As Christian Parenti pointed out to Laura Flanders years ago, back when the show was called The Laura Flanders Show, the Dexy in the paper and the Dexy in person are not the same person.)
Here's the thing, Dexy's not paid by the paper for speeches. He's paid to report. He's supposedly a reporter. If he has seen Iraq descend into anarcy, his reporting should have reflected that. If he sees that a civil war has started, his reporting should have reflected that.Instead readers got Reading Press Releases Live From The Green Zone. That wasn't reality.
And for him to play war correspondent as the actual work, the more dangerous work, was farmed out to stringers, wasn't reality. Readers of the Times may be shocked by Dexy's speech. (His cohorts may be outraged.) You can't paly reporter in front of audiences if you don't do the work required to back up the preformance.
If you'll remember the Times denied that white phosphorus was used in Falluja (in November of 2004). When that news came out and started to get traction over a year later, a reporter who'd never been in Falluja denied it and the reason for denying it was that Filkins (among other Times reporters) was there. (Filkins actually won a prize for his rah-rah 'reporting' that omitted key details.) Then the US government admitted that white phosphorus had been used. The Times noted that -- the same reporter, Scott Shane, wrote the denial and the affirmation.
Shane should have been able to depend on Filkins' 'reporting.' The paper ran with it. (Well, slow jogged it. Check the dateline on the 'award winning' piece and compare it to when it was actually published -- you'll understand why many whispers of military revisions/censorship still surround that 'award winning' piece.) Shane got burned by the paper's own reporting.
That's some of the reality. But MothJo writers and reality are a stretch. Which is how that crap ends up written (and written five days after C.I. had already discussed it at length). "Baby Cum Pants" is how the reporter I was talking to this evening nicknamed Paulin but I think I'd call him "Baby Dump Pants." Of course, the non-story is linked to by Lotta Links because they have no shame -- not when they're calling Ehren Watada "Bob Watada" (that's his father) or when they're falsely saying (last weekend) that Bob Watada is on a speaking tour (it ended weeks before), so Baby Dump Pants is perfect for Lotta Links, neither of them can think too good.
Baby Dump Pants needs to sit his ass down and wallow in his own shit instead of smearing it online. Takes a special kind of stupid to praise Dexy Filkins but damned if they don't always turn up. Who has criticized Dexy? C.I., Dahr Jamail, the Washington Post, Danny Schechter and if there's anyone else, please step forward and claim your prize. Remember Baby Dump Pants because Dexy's Falluja Fibs will be one of the stories that real press critics cite over and when the war is over as one of the biggest lies. Smart people already do (but smart people don't work at MothJo, they don't even know how to count to two at MothJo) but this is the one who will replace Judith Miller as the years go by. And Baby Dump Pants and all his crappy brothers and sisters should be held accountable when those days come because they pumped out crap to support the biggest liar in the Green Zone. I'd type, "Eat s**t, Baby Dump Pants," but it's obvious he already does.
I want to note the questions C.I. had for Dexy on January 7, 2006 (which is what Baby Dump Pants writes about with admiration today -- sorry, Baby Dump Pants, C.I. was all over this long, long ago so go back to playing with your feces):
1) Why, when Iraq was in chaos outside the Green Zone early into the occupation, did your reports not reflect that?
2) Do you really think that readers didn't have a right to know that you were provided with body guards and your movement severly restricted?
3) A reporter stated publicly that you killed an intended interview with the resistance when the American military was displeased. How often did that happen?
4) Your "reporting" on the November slaughter of Falluja ran many days after the end of fighting. Why was that? Is it true that you allowed the military to read over and make suggestions on your copy?
5) If readers had known how severely restricted your movement was from the start and, later on, even in the Green Zone itself, do you think that would have mattered? Why or why not?
6) Since the government has now been forced to admit that white phosphorus was used in Falluja, can you explain why you didn't note that in your articles? (Including your "award winning" one?)
7) What was the deal you agreed to when the military offered to take you into Falluja with them? How did that impact your coverage?
8) As you traveled with bodyguards (wearing black T-shirts with "New York Times" on the front), do you think that effected the way anyone interacted with you?
9) Did you were your own black T-shirt? (Tell the truth on that Dexy, there are some photos floating around.)
10) Using data gathered by stringers was a hallmark of the paper's reporting. In terms of your own reporting, do you feel any regret that stringers weren't credited from the early days? What of those who were the victims of violence or lost a life? Looking back, do you feel that an "end credit" in the later days was really sufficient or, if you had it to do over again, would you insist that they receive a byline?
11) As you packed heat, even while protected by bodyguards, a lot of reporters felt you were "play acting" at war correspondent. How would you reply to your critics?
12) There are those who compare you to a little boy, high on a war, intent to prove your manhood. You say what?
13) You are on record saying that no one can predict what will happen in Iraq. Do you think that their hunches might be stronger if you'd accurately portrayed the conditions under which you were "reporting"?
14) Despite winning an award, does it bother you that Seymour Hersh broke the Abu Ghraib story? That others (including Amy Goodman) broke the white phosphorus story?
15) Exactly what story do you feel that you broke? As someone who spent so much time in the Green Zone, what story do you feel proud about and why?
Stupid Baby Dump Pants really needs to stop calling attention to the fact that he soils himself in public. There's nothing in the Editor & Publisher article (which C.I. addressed a week before) that wasn't known to anyone who wasn't on the outside looking in. But that MothJo for you, always a few years behind.
As soon as I got back here, I had to look up the story because Baby Dump Pants was being trashed by real reporters for his swallowing Dexy with a smile. Let the record show, that from the first Sunday of The Common Ills, C.I. was addressing the lies of Dexy. All this time later and Baby Dump Pants still doesn't know what's what. Rebecca's going to address another person providing cover for Dexter Filkins tonight. It's really amazing that the Washington Post can call him out but our so-called 'independent media' plays dumb.
Changing topics, I'll note R. Jeffrey Smith's article on the latest in the legalization of torture. If you read the article, you'll note that Human Rights Watch is grossly ineffective. This is from Smith's "On Rough Treatment, a Rough Accord:"
Draft legislation to create a new system of military courts for terrorism suspects would allow prosecutors to introduce at future trials confessions that were obtained through "cruel, unusual, or inhumane" interrogations by the CIA or the military before 2005, but not afterward.
The legislation would also allow defense attorneys to challenge the use of hearsay information obtained through coercive interrogations in distant countries only if they can prove it is unreliable, a daunting task if the information consists of written statements from people the lawyers have no right to confront in court.
[. . .]
Many human rights groups and legal experts who parsed the bill yesterday said the White House had achieved most of its objectives in negotiations with dissident GOP senators, including John McCain (Ariz.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and John W. Warner (Va.).
They said the bill's provisions would violate detainees' legitimate rights, conflict with Supreme Court decisions, and come back to haunt Washington when Americans in foreign custody are subjected to the same harsh interrogations and military trials.
"It replaces the old broken" military trial system ruled illegal by the Supreme Court with "a new broken commission system," said Marine Corps Col. Dwight Sullivan, the chief defense counsel for the Defense Department's Office of Military Commissions. He said "it methodically strips rights" guaranteed by laws and treaties and appears to be unconstitutional.
Methodically strips rights and that's the military. Human Rights Watch, by contrast, pins their hopes on a speech John McCain gives tomorrow. They really are becoming a joke (this on top of their response to Israel's armed aggression this summer). Iraq? Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Friday, September 22, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, the 2700 mark for US military fatalities in Iraq looms ever closer (2697), the Defense Department learns (again) that the press makes the best lobbyist, and, as Democrats continue to run from Iraq, activists continue to speak out and organize.
Starting with peace news, Mima Mohammed (Los Angelse Times) reports on Helga Aguayo's statements regarding her husband, war resister Agustin Aguayo, who decided to self-check out September 2, 2006: "My husband has never broken a law and I am proud of him. He doesn't want to support the war -- he cannot do so conscientiously. He is a conscientious objector, but the Army forced him to become a resister." Helga Aguayo was speaking Wednesday at Camp Democracy (which continues free and open to the public through October 1st) in Washington, DC. and stated that her husband will turn himself in but he will not go to Iraq.
Also reporting on war resistance and Camp Democracy, Tim Wheeler (People's World Weekly) covers war resister Ricky Clousing's speech from this past weekend where Clousing noted what he saw "an innocent Iraqi killed before my eyes by U.S. troops. I saw the abuse of power that goes without accountability" and notes some of the torture techniques he observed and how Bully Boy "is seeking legal cover. . . . He is seeking another loophole to continue what they have been doing." Ricky Clousing announced at the Seattle Veterans for Peace conference in August that he would be turning himself in after self-checking out. He did so and that military has charged him with desertion and the war drags on . . .
While the military gets all the money they can grab (that's at the top, it never flows down to the enlisted). AP reports that today $70 billion more for quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan were added to the trough "as they wrapped up talks on a $447 billion Pentagon funding bill. The additional war frunds would bring the total approved by Congress for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan [. . .*] to more than $500 billion, with another installment likely to come next spring."
The bumper sticker reads: "Bully Boy illegal invaded Iraq and all I got was a mountain of debt."
"*"? AP feels the need to insert "since September 11, 2001" into the sentence for some unknown reason. Are they attempting to repeat the discredited "link" between Iraq and 9-11? Clearly Congress approved no war spending measures on September 11th. AP also notes that the Defense Department got what it wanted and AP ties it to those reports of an overstretched (economically) military. Again we ask the question of Thom Shanker and Michael R. Gordon's report (New York Times) today:"Is it news or is it fundraising?"
AP also editorializes with this: "Even opponents of the war tend to support the measure because it supports U.S. troops in harm's way." Actually, cutting off the spending would cut the war. But don't rock the conventional 'wisdom' boat, don't tip the boat over. Which is apparently the m.o. for Dems when it comes to the November elections. Arianna Huffington (The Huffington Post) reports that the big plan revolves around stressing the economy and ignoring Iraq: "In poll after poll, voters place Iraq well above the economy when asked which issue will most affect their vote this year. And when you combine concerns about the war with concerns about terrorism/national security, it's the economy that is 'a distant reality.' Yet Democrats keep returning to the same domestic-issues-uber-alles thinking that cost them the elections in 2002 and 2004. They can't really believe that people are more interested in raising the minimum wage, middle class tax relief, and college affordability than they are in who's going to keep them from being blown up, can they? The Dems are like a bunch of crack addicts who know that the stuff is killing them, but keep reaching for the pipe."
This as Lolita C. Baldor (AP) reports that James Thurman (US "Maj. Gen.") loosens his grip on reality (further?) and claims that attacks on civilians in Iraq are down. Well pay it forward, Thurman. America can't afford universal health care but can pay $500 billion (and counting) for wars? Turman also stated that, "As we clean up the streets, we find a city capable of starting to function properly." Street cleaners? That's what US troops are being kept in Iraq for? No, they aren't street cleaners and Thurman needs to work a little harder at his illustrations (working harder at capturing reality might cause a blood vessel to explode so we'll accept the fact that he's an Operation Happy Talker and move on.)
In the real world (which Thurman is welcome to visit), Patrick Cockburn (Independent of London) reminds: "The pervasive use of torture is only one aspect of the utter breakdown of government across Iraq outside the three Kurdish provinces in the north. In July and August alone, 6,599 civilians were killed, the UN says." The torture, the UN has stated, is being committed by a variety of groups including 'government forces.' Tim Reid (Times of London) reports that the White House takes offense to the UN report and denies it. We all await Condi Rice trotting out her "No one could have guessed" line yet again.
Bombings?
AFP reports, that in Baghdad, two bomb detector/defusers were killed when a bomb they were attempting to defuse exploded. Reuters reports a civilian dead from a roadside bomb in Latifiyaand sixteen wounded from bombs in Baghdad.
Shootings?
AFP reports that four Iraqi police officers were shot dead in Baquba. AP reports that attacks on mosques and homes resulted in four shooting deaths in Baghdad. China's People's Daily notes that four houses were set on fire in the attacks. Reuters reports one civilian shot dead in Kirkuk and that Nomass Atout shot dead "near his house in Diwaniya".
Corpses?
KUNA reports that 48 corpses were discovered in Baghdad today. AP reports a corpse ("blindfolded . . . bound") was discovered in Musayyib. Reuters reports two corpses discovered in Mosul and a woman's corpse found in Kirkuk. That should be 64 deaths reported, counting corpses, thus far today.
Returning to peace news, Paul Hogarth (Beyond Chron) reports, " About 25 activists gathered at the Office of Supervisor Chris Daly yesterday to display the Code Pink Peace Ribbon Quilt, and to kick off the Declaration of Peace Week of Action. The Declaration, which has been endorsed by over 180 peace and justice organizations throughout the country has three basic platforms: (1) bring our troops home now, (2) establish a plan to end the war in Iraq, and (3) prevent future U.S. invasions such as Iran, Syria or North Korea."
It was a pretty busy day. There was activism, there was fun (and activism is fun, but non-activism fun), Tracey and me were going to cook for everyone tonight, but at the last minute, we all ended up going to a party. It was a pretty nice party. I thought it might be stuffy, like the embassy thing we did last time in DC, but it was really fun. Now be sure and check out Like Maria Said Paz for Elaine's thoughts.
alastair paulin
the washington post
r. jeffrey smith
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
like maria said paz
mikey likes it
the common ills
iraq
the los angeles times
mima mohammed
agustin aguayo
tim wheeler
peoples weekly world
ricky clousing
arianna huffington
paul hogarth
camp democracy
declaration of peace
Alastair Paulin: "Dexter Filkins, who has done terrific reporting for the New York Times from Iraq, recently said that 98 percent of Iraq, including most of Baghdad, is now off-limits to Western journalists, a startling figure that begs the question of why reports from Iraq don't include such a disclaimer." Really, Filky has done such a great job?
When was that? Before or after the Washington Post outed him as the first speed number on the military's propaganda phone? Was that before or after a female reporter outed his 'techinques' of refusing to cover any topic that brought a frown to the face of the US military?
Was that before or after he wrote about all the pretty colors in the bombs destroying Falluja?
You have to be pretty stupid and wake up pretty late to praise Dexter Filkins. (Rebecca's tackling another piece of shit who did the same today.) Apparently, Alastair Paulin's never read Filkins, never heard Dahr Jamail speak about Filky's 'reporting' and knows nothing really but that, on Wednesday, he stumbled across an Editor & Publisher report. Community members know it too. Only they didn't have to wait until Wednesday of this week. They heard it about last Friday when C.I. wrote "Post-Gazette editorializes it's time to leave, Dexy Rats Out:"
Oh, how brave he is. When he's not churning out sob stories or rewriting press releases or being the US military's go-to-guy for propaganda. (As Christian Parenti pointed out to Laura Flanders years ago, back when the show was called The Laura Flanders Show, the Dexy in the paper and the Dexy in person are not the same person.)
Here's the thing, Dexy's not paid by the paper for speeches. He's paid to report. He's supposedly a reporter. If he has seen Iraq descend into anarcy, his reporting should have reflected that. If he sees that a civil war has started, his reporting should have reflected that.Instead readers got Reading Press Releases Live From The Green Zone. That wasn't reality.
And for him to play war correspondent as the actual work, the more dangerous work, was farmed out to stringers, wasn't reality. Readers of the Times may be shocked by Dexy's speech. (His cohorts may be outraged.) You can't paly reporter in front of audiences if you don't do the work required to back up the preformance.
If you'll remember the Times denied that white phosphorus was used in Falluja (in November of 2004). When that news came out and started to get traction over a year later, a reporter who'd never been in Falluja denied it and the reason for denying it was that Filkins (among other Times reporters) was there. (Filkins actually won a prize for his rah-rah 'reporting' that omitted key details.) Then the US government admitted that white phosphorus had been used. The Times noted that -- the same reporter, Scott Shane, wrote the denial and the affirmation.
Shane should have been able to depend on Filkins' 'reporting.' The paper ran with it. (Well, slow jogged it. Check the dateline on the 'award winning' piece and compare it to when it was actually published -- you'll understand why many whispers of military revisions/censorship still surround that 'award winning' piece.) Shane got burned by the paper's own reporting.
That's some of the reality. But MothJo writers and reality are a stretch. Which is how that crap ends up written (and written five days after C.I. had already discussed it at length). "Baby Cum Pants" is how the reporter I was talking to this evening nicknamed Paulin but I think I'd call him "Baby Dump Pants." Of course, the non-story is linked to by Lotta Links because they have no shame -- not when they're calling Ehren Watada "Bob Watada" (that's his father) or when they're falsely saying (last weekend) that Bob Watada is on a speaking tour (it ended weeks before), so Baby Dump Pants is perfect for Lotta Links, neither of them can think too good.
Baby Dump Pants needs to sit his ass down and wallow in his own shit instead of smearing it online. Takes a special kind of stupid to praise Dexy Filkins but damned if they don't always turn up. Who has criticized Dexy? C.I., Dahr Jamail, the Washington Post, Danny Schechter and if there's anyone else, please step forward and claim your prize. Remember Baby Dump Pants because Dexy's Falluja Fibs will be one of the stories that real press critics cite over and when the war is over as one of the biggest lies. Smart people already do (but smart people don't work at MothJo, they don't even know how to count to two at MothJo) but this is the one who will replace Judith Miller as the years go by. And Baby Dump Pants and all his crappy brothers and sisters should be held accountable when those days come because they pumped out crap to support the biggest liar in the Green Zone. I'd type, "Eat s**t, Baby Dump Pants," but it's obvious he already does.
I want to note the questions C.I. had for Dexy on January 7, 2006 (which is what Baby Dump Pants writes about with admiration today -- sorry, Baby Dump Pants, C.I. was all over this long, long ago so go back to playing with your feces):
1) Why, when Iraq was in chaos outside the Green Zone early into the occupation, did your reports not reflect that?
2) Do you really think that readers didn't have a right to know that you were provided with body guards and your movement severly restricted?
3) A reporter stated publicly that you killed an intended interview with the resistance when the American military was displeased. How often did that happen?
4) Your "reporting" on the November slaughter of Falluja ran many days after the end of fighting. Why was that? Is it true that you allowed the military to read over and make suggestions on your copy?
5) If readers had known how severely restricted your movement was from the start and, later on, even in the Green Zone itself, do you think that would have mattered? Why or why not?
6) Since the government has now been forced to admit that white phosphorus was used in Falluja, can you explain why you didn't note that in your articles? (Including your "award winning" one?)
7) What was the deal you agreed to when the military offered to take you into Falluja with them? How did that impact your coverage?
8) As you traveled with bodyguards (wearing black T-shirts with "New York Times" on the front), do you think that effected the way anyone interacted with you?
9) Did you were your own black T-shirt? (Tell the truth on that Dexy, there are some photos floating around.)
10) Using data gathered by stringers was a hallmark of the paper's reporting. In terms of your own reporting, do you feel any regret that stringers weren't credited from the early days? What of those who were the victims of violence or lost a life? Looking back, do you feel that an "end credit" in the later days was really sufficient or, if you had it to do over again, would you insist that they receive a byline?
11) As you packed heat, even while protected by bodyguards, a lot of reporters felt you were "play acting" at war correspondent. How would you reply to your critics?
12) There are those who compare you to a little boy, high on a war, intent to prove your manhood. You say what?
13) You are on record saying that no one can predict what will happen in Iraq. Do you think that their hunches might be stronger if you'd accurately portrayed the conditions under which you were "reporting"?
14) Despite winning an award, does it bother you that Seymour Hersh broke the Abu Ghraib story? That others (including Amy Goodman) broke the white phosphorus story?
15) Exactly what story do you feel that you broke? As someone who spent so much time in the Green Zone, what story do you feel proud about and why?
Stupid Baby Dump Pants really needs to stop calling attention to the fact that he soils himself in public. There's nothing in the Editor & Publisher article (which C.I. addressed a week before) that wasn't known to anyone who wasn't on the outside looking in. But that MothJo for you, always a few years behind.
As soon as I got back here, I had to look up the story because Baby Dump Pants was being trashed by real reporters for his swallowing Dexy with a smile. Let the record show, that from the first Sunday of The Common Ills, C.I. was addressing the lies of Dexy. All this time later and Baby Dump Pants still doesn't know what's what. Rebecca's going to address another person providing cover for Dexter Filkins tonight. It's really amazing that the Washington Post can call him out but our so-called 'independent media' plays dumb.
Changing topics, I'll note R. Jeffrey Smith's article on the latest in the legalization of torture. If you read the article, you'll note that Human Rights Watch is grossly ineffective. This is from Smith's "On Rough Treatment, a Rough Accord:"
Draft legislation to create a new system of military courts for terrorism suspects would allow prosecutors to introduce at future trials confessions that were obtained through "cruel, unusual, or inhumane" interrogations by the CIA or the military before 2005, but not afterward.
The legislation would also allow defense attorneys to challenge the use of hearsay information obtained through coercive interrogations in distant countries only if they can prove it is unreliable, a daunting task if the information consists of written statements from people the lawyers have no right to confront in court.
[. . .]
Many human rights groups and legal experts who parsed the bill yesterday said the White House had achieved most of its objectives in negotiations with dissident GOP senators, including John McCain (Ariz.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and John W. Warner (Va.).
They said the bill's provisions would violate detainees' legitimate rights, conflict with Supreme Court decisions, and come back to haunt Washington when Americans in foreign custody are subjected to the same harsh interrogations and military trials.
"It replaces the old broken" military trial system ruled illegal by the Supreme Court with "a new broken commission system," said Marine Corps Col. Dwight Sullivan, the chief defense counsel for the Defense Department's Office of Military Commissions. He said "it methodically strips rights" guaranteed by laws and treaties and appears to be unconstitutional.
Methodically strips rights and that's the military. Human Rights Watch, by contrast, pins their hopes on a speech John McCain gives tomorrow. They really are becoming a joke (this on top of their response to Israel's armed aggression this summer). Iraq? Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Friday, September 22, 2006. Chaos and violence continue in Iraq, the 2700 mark for US military fatalities in Iraq looms ever closer (2697), the Defense Department learns (again) that the press makes the best lobbyist, and, as Democrats continue to run from Iraq, activists continue to speak out and organize.
Starting with peace news, Mima Mohammed (Los Angelse Times) reports on Helga Aguayo's statements regarding her husband, war resister Agustin Aguayo, who decided to self-check out September 2, 2006: "My husband has never broken a law and I am proud of him. He doesn't want to support the war -- he cannot do so conscientiously. He is a conscientious objector, but the Army forced him to become a resister." Helga Aguayo was speaking Wednesday at Camp Democracy (which continues free and open to the public through October 1st) in Washington, DC. and stated that her husband will turn himself in but he will not go to Iraq.
Also reporting on war resistance and Camp Democracy, Tim Wheeler (People's World Weekly) covers war resister Ricky Clousing's speech from this past weekend where Clousing noted what he saw "an innocent Iraqi killed before my eyes by U.S. troops. I saw the abuse of power that goes without accountability" and notes some of the torture techniques he observed and how Bully Boy "is seeking legal cover. . . . He is seeking another loophole to continue what they have been doing." Ricky Clousing announced at the Seattle Veterans for Peace conference in August that he would be turning himself in after self-checking out. He did so and that military has charged him with desertion and the war drags on . . .
While the military gets all the money they can grab (that's at the top, it never flows down to the enlisted). AP reports that today $70 billion more for quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan were added to the trough "as they wrapped up talks on a $447 billion Pentagon funding bill. The additional war frunds would bring the total approved by Congress for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan [. . .*] to more than $500 billion, with another installment likely to come next spring."
The bumper sticker reads: "Bully Boy illegal invaded Iraq and all I got was a mountain of debt."
"*"? AP feels the need to insert "since September 11, 2001" into the sentence for some unknown reason. Are they attempting to repeat the discredited "link" between Iraq and 9-11? Clearly Congress approved no war spending measures on September 11th. AP also notes that the Defense Department got what it wanted and AP ties it to those reports of an overstretched (economically) military. Again we ask the question of Thom Shanker and Michael R. Gordon's report (New York Times) today:"Is it news or is it fundraising?"
AP also editorializes with this: "Even opponents of the war tend to support the measure because it supports U.S. troops in harm's way." Actually, cutting off the spending would cut the war. But don't rock the conventional 'wisdom' boat, don't tip the boat over. Which is apparently the m.o. for Dems when it comes to the November elections. Arianna Huffington (The Huffington Post) reports that the big plan revolves around stressing the economy and ignoring Iraq: "In poll after poll, voters place Iraq well above the economy when asked which issue will most affect their vote this year. And when you combine concerns about the war with concerns about terrorism/national security, it's the economy that is 'a distant reality.' Yet Democrats keep returning to the same domestic-issues-uber-alles thinking that cost them the elections in 2002 and 2004. They can't really believe that people are more interested in raising the minimum wage, middle class tax relief, and college affordability than they are in who's going to keep them from being blown up, can they? The Dems are like a bunch of crack addicts who know that the stuff is killing them, but keep reaching for the pipe."
This as Lolita C. Baldor (AP) reports that James Thurman (US "Maj. Gen.") loosens his grip on reality (further?) and claims that attacks on civilians in Iraq are down. Well pay it forward, Thurman. America can't afford universal health care but can pay $500 billion (and counting) for wars? Turman also stated that, "As we clean up the streets, we find a city capable of starting to function properly." Street cleaners? That's what US troops are being kept in Iraq for? No, they aren't street cleaners and Thurman needs to work a little harder at his illustrations (working harder at capturing reality might cause a blood vessel to explode so we'll accept the fact that he's an Operation Happy Talker and move on.)
In the real world (which Thurman is welcome to visit), Patrick Cockburn (Independent of London) reminds: "The pervasive use of torture is only one aspect of the utter breakdown of government across Iraq outside the three Kurdish provinces in the north. In July and August alone, 6,599 civilians were killed, the UN says." The torture, the UN has stated, is being committed by a variety of groups including 'government forces.' Tim Reid (Times of London) reports that the White House takes offense to the UN report and denies it. We all await Condi Rice trotting out her "No one could have guessed" line yet again.
Bombings?
AFP reports, that in Baghdad, two bomb detector/defusers were killed when a bomb they were attempting to defuse exploded. Reuters reports a civilian dead from a roadside bomb in Latifiyaand sixteen wounded from bombs in Baghdad.
Shootings?
AFP reports that four Iraqi police officers were shot dead in Baquba. AP reports that attacks on mosques and homes resulted in four shooting deaths in Baghdad. China's People's Daily notes that four houses were set on fire in the attacks. Reuters reports one civilian shot dead in Kirkuk and that Nomass Atout shot dead "near his house in Diwaniya".
Corpses?
KUNA reports that 48 corpses were discovered in Baghdad today. AP reports a corpse ("blindfolded . . . bound") was discovered in Musayyib. Reuters reports two corpses discovered in Mosul and a woman's corpse found in Kirkuk. That should be 64 deaths reported, counting corpses, thus far today.
Returning to peace news, Paul Hogarth (Beyond Chron) reports, " About 25 activists gathered at the Office of Supervisor Chris Daly yesterday to display the Code Pink Peace Ribbon Quilt, and to kick off the Declaration of Peace Week of Action. The Declaration, which has been endorsed by over 180 peace and justice organizations throughout the country has three basic platforms: (1) bring our troops home now, (2) establish a plan to end the war in Iraq, and (3) prevent future U.S. invasions such as Iran, Syria or North Korea."
It was a pretty busy day. There was activism, there was fun (and activism is fun, but non-activism fun), Tracey and me were going to cook for everyone tonight, but at the last minute, we all ended up going to a party. It was a pretty nice party. I thought it might be stuffy, like the embassy thing we did last time in DC, but it was really fun. Now be sure and check out Like Maria Said Paz for Elaine's thoughts.
alastair paulin
the washington post
r. jeffrey smith
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
like maria said paz
mikey likes it
the common ills
iraq
the los angeles times
mima mohammed
agustin aguayo
tim wheeler
peoples weekly world
ricky clousing
arianna huffington
paul hogarth
camp democracy
declaration of peace
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Brief do to Blogger/Blogspot problems
Okay, nonstop problems with the computer today. C.I. had the worst, dictated a post to a friend, it didn't make it to the blog (e-mailed) and C.I. finds out when we're doing a late lunch, whips out the laptop and starts having Blogger/Blogspot problems. C.I. finally gets something together and then Blogger/Blogspot is down so it was just a crazy day. And it continued -- what's up with Explorer? Everytime I open it shuts down, same with everybody here. I don't like to use mozilla for posting because copying & pasting is a problem.
This'll bore all but the techies (and they'll laugh at my attempts to describe it). You have two options when you're trying to write a post: "Compose" and "Edit." If you use "Edit," anything you copy with links in it will end up having the links disappear. If you use "Compose," the links will be there. Does that make sense? But in Mozilla, forget about using "Compose" because copy & paste doesn't work in "Compose" with Mozilla. I mentioned that to C.I. when I was about to give up on Blogging tonight and ended up getting a useful tip (handed on from UK Computer Gurus) which is use shift-insert. That will paste anything you copy into a "Compose" screen in Mozilla.
Rebecca's blogging and I'm blogging and I don't know who else will. But that's what's going on tonight. We're all unable to use Explorer and there are probably half a dozen other problems as well.
Okay, Rebecca just slid something over to me to note too. This is from CODEPINK:
Diplomacy can work. We can choose peace, and we are. Toward this end, CODEPINK is taking to the streets to spread the Declaration of Peace.
The Declaration of Peace is a nationwide campaign to establish a concrete and rapid plan for peace in Iraq. From September 21-28, we will take part in nonviolent action, marches, rallies, demonstrations, interfaith services, candlelight vigils and other inspired ways to declare peace at the US Capitol and in cities and towns across the US. Join CODEPINK for a week of creative and outrageous action in Washington DC, including an Arms are for Hugging "Hug In" at Congress.
Local CODEPINK groups are also taking action in communities from New York City to Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco to Boulder. To join an action in your area, or to get info about planning one, click here.
This week, Yoko Ono, Kate Hudson and Samuel L. Jackson signed on to our Give Peace a Vote campaign. Have you? Consider becoming one of our 1000 Peacemakers who are getting 100 others to vote for peace. And pass on John Stauber's flash video from his new book, The Best War Ever, to encourage voters for peace.
As John Lennon and Yoko Ono said so beautifully, "WAR IS OVER, if we want it."
Declaring peace and gratitude,
Andrea, Anedra, Dana, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Laura, Liz, Medea, Nancy, Patricia, Rae, Samantha, and Sonia
Peace, to reuse one of Bush's phrases, is on the march. Positive signs of change are everywhere we turn.
- In anti-war candidates gaining support from the American public.
- In 102 Iraqi Parliamentarians asking for a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of US troops.
- In the efforts of the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency to find negotiated solutions in Iran.
- In the Israeli/Lebanese ceasefire, monitored by international peacekeepers.
- In the growing grassroots campaign to deploy UN peacekeepers in Darfur.
Diplomacy can work. We can choose peace, and we are. Toward this end, CODEPINK is taking to the streets to spread the Declaration of Peace.
The Declaration of Peace is a nationwide campaign to establish a concrete and rapid plan for peace in Iraq. From September 21-28, we will take part in nonviolent action, marches, rallies, demonstrations, interfaith services, candlelight vigils and other inspired ways to declare peace at the US Capitol and in cities and towns across the US. Join CODEPINK for a week of creative and outrageous action in Washington DC, including an Arms are for Hugging "Hug In" at Congress.
Local CODEPINK groups are also taking action in communities from New York City to Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco to Boulder. To join an action in your area, or to get info about planning one, click here.
This week, Yoko Ono, Kate Hudson and Samuel L. Jackson signed on to our Give Peace a Vote campaign. Have you? Consider becoming one of our 1000 Peacemakers who are getting 100 others to vote for peace. And pass on John Stauber's flash video from his new book, The Best War Ever, to encourage voters for peace.
As John Lennon and Yoko Ono said so beautifully, "WAR IS OVER, if we want it."
Declaring peace and gratitude,
Andrea, Anedra, Dana, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Laura, Liz, Medea, Nancy, Patricia, Rae, Samantha, and Sonia
Be sure to read C.I.'s "NYT: 5,106 dead in Baghdad during July & August (Richard A. Oppel)" which we were all going, "Put this in!" and "Talk about that!" We probably gave C.I. a huge headache. :D And let me add to the issue of peace coverage that Democracy When observed International Peace Day by . . . nothing. They didn't do any reports on peace activities planned or that had taken place, they didn't do anything on peace activists. Democracy When?
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today: Thursday, September 21st, 2006, International Peace Day established by the United Nations November 30, 1981 and Bully Boy offers 'alternative programming' as the chaos and violence continues in Iraq, as the press learns that 'suicide bomber' is an imprecise term, as those doing the torture includes 'government forces,' as the US military fatality count approaches the 2700 mark and the so-called coalition of the willing continues to shrink with the US forces left to sing,
"To be the last to leave, the last to be gone, stolen from the ones who hung on to it" ("Fireflies," written by Stevie Nicks, available on Fleetwood Mac Live).
The BBC reports that Manfred Nowak (anti-torture expert for the United Nations and Austrian law professor) has stated that torture is not only on the rise in Iraq but it may be happening more frequently than when Saddam Huseein was in power. Nowak's statements were based on a UN report which found that "Victims come from prisons run by US-led multinational forces as well as by the ministries of interior and defence and private militias".
This as Reuters notes: "The Sunni religious organisation, the Muslim Scholars Association, accused unnamed militia and government forces of killing five people in the village of al-Intsar, on the northeastern outskirts of Baghdad late on Wednesday. The group said others were kidnapped and houses burned."
Richard A. Oppel Jr. (New York Times) reported today, in Baghdad alone, at least "5,106 people . . . died violent deathd during July and August". Which is no doubt why, as reported by Sudarsan Raghavan's (Washington Post), The Giddiest Gabor in the Green Zone, William Caldwell IV, US military spokesperson, announced the obvious, after the UN had, that there was "a spike in execution-style murders" and "many bodies found had clear signs of being bound, tortured and executed." Way to stay ahead of the curve, but then he wouldn't look like the third guest, the loopy, bra-less one, if he couldn't state the obvious long after it had already been noted, would he?
Meanwhile Reuters reports that at least 38 corpses were discovered in Baghdad with most bearing signs of torture. Bombings? Reuters reports that a rocket attack on a home in Baghdad killed four and left five wounded, while bombs killed eight in Baghdad and left eighteen wounded and, in Diwaniya, a roadside bomb took the lives of two Iraq soldiers. Shootings? Reuters reports 3 shot dead in Kerbala and three police officers in Baquba. In a combination of the two (mortar attack, followed by gunfire) AP reports the deaths of six Iraqi police officers when their Baghdad police station was attacked.
AFP reports that the so-called coalition of the willing continues to suffer from shrinkage as Italy hands over Dhi Qar to Iraqi forces and, low and behold, there are no reports the Italy's actions "embolden" terrorism or that their action prevents "democracy." Quite the contrary, a US military press release credited to Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Gen. George W. Casey Jr.
maintains that the handover and Italy's withdrawal predicated on the handover is "another sign of progress." Progress is possible, apparently, for all but the U.S. and England. Reuters identifies Italy as "the last major Western European ally" for England and the US and notes that an Italian soldier died just "hours" before the handover raising the total number of Italian soldiers who died in the war to 32.
The US military fatality count continues to rise and the US military announced today that a US soldier died in Baghdad Wednesday from a roadside bomb while today a soldier died from wounds received while fighting in al Anbar province. The announcements come as the US military fatality count is at 2,693 (seven away from the 2700 mark) and as the AP reports questions remain in another Wednesday US military death in Baghdad ("Sgt. 1st Class Charles Jason Jones, 29, of Lawrenceburg", Kentucky ) which is currently classified as due to "non combat-related causes".
"Suicide bombers" and "suicide car bombers"? The AP reports that term is far from precise and that the Iraqi Defense Ministry issued a warning today based upon the fact that people are being kidnapped, released and then used as unknowing bombers via remote control from devices planted on them or their vehicles.
In peace news, Sue Anne Pressley Montes (Washington Post) reports "A group of ministers, veterans and peace activists attempted to deliver a 'declaration of peace' to the White House today, kicking off a week of vigils and other activities in 350 communities across the country calling for the prompt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq" and "The day's activities also featured vigils for peace in dozens of cities and towns, including Little Rock, Ark.; Tucson, Ariz.; Pasadena, Ca.; Miami, Fla.; Decatur, Ga.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Austin, Tex. In San Diego Friday, there will be a Dance Action for Peace; on Saturday in Cincinnati, a Peace Tent City will be erected. San Francisco is hosting a mass bicycle ride to protest the conflict, and Madison, Wisc., is holding community forums on the issue." The Declaration of Peace site contains a
Vigils Calendar that will help you find events in your area as well as more information.
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
mikey likes it
the common ills
iraq
the new york times
richard a. oppel
the washington post
sudarsan raghavan
sue anne pressley montes
declaration of peace
stevie nicks
fireflies
fleetwood mac
"To be the last to leave, the last to be gone, stolen from the ones who hung on to it" ("Fireflies," written by Stevie Nicks, available on Fleetwood Mac Live).
The BBC reports that Manfred Nowak (anti-torture expert for the United Nations and Austrian law professor) has stated that torture is not only on the rise in Iraq but it may be happening more frequently than when Saddam Huseein was in power. Nowak's statements were based on a UN report which found that "Victims come from prisons run by US-led multinational forces as well as by the ministries of interior and defence and private militias".
This as Reuters notes: "The Sunni religious organisation, the Muslim Scholars Association, accused unnamed militia and government forces of killing five people in the village of al-Intsar, on the northeastern outskirts of Baghdad late on Wednesday. The group said others were kidnapped and houses burned."
Richard A. Oppel Jr. (New York Times) reported today, in Baghdad alone, at least "5,106 people . . . died violent deathd during July and August". Which is no doubt why, as reported by Sudarsan Raghavan's (Washington Post), The Giddiest Gabor in the Green Zone, William Caldwell IV, US military spokesperson, announced the obvious, after the UN had, that there was "a spike in execution-style murders" and "many bodies found had clear signs of being bound, tortured and executed." Way to stay ahead of the curve, but then he wouldn't look like the third guest, the loopy, bra-less one, if he couldn't state the obvious long after it had already been noted, would he?
Meanwhile Reuters reports that at least 38 corpses were discovered in Baghdad with most bearing signs of torture. Bombings? Reuters reports that a rocket attack on a home in Baghdad killed four and left five wounded, while bombs killed eight in Baghdad and left eighteen wounded and, in Diwaniya, a roadside bomb took the lives of two Iraq soldiers. Shootings? Reuters reports 3 shot dead in Kerbala and three police officers in Baquba. In a combination of the two (mortar attack, followed by gunfire) AP reports the deaths of six Iraqi police officers when their Baghdad police station was attacked.
AFP reports that the so-called coalition of the willing continues to suffer from shrinkage as Italy hands over Dhi Qar to Iraqi forces and, low and behold, there are no reports the Italy's actions "embolden" terrorism or that their action prevents "democracy." Quite the contrary, a US military press release credited to Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Gen. George W. Casey Jr.
maintains that the handover and Italy's withdrawal predicated on the handover is "another sign of progress." Progress is possible, apparently, for all but the U.S. and England. Reuters identifies Italy as "the last major Western European ally" for England and the US and notes that an Italian soldier died just "hours" before the handover raising the total number of Italian soldiers who died in the war to 32.
The US military fatality count continues to rise and the US military announced today that a US soldier died in Baghdad Wednesday from a roadside bomb while today a soldier died from wounds received while fighting in al Anbar province. The announcements come as the US military fatality count is at 2,693 (seven away from the 2700 mark) and as the AP reports questions remain in another Wednesday US military death in Baghdad ("Sgt. 1st Class Charles Jason Jones, 29, of Lawrenceburg", Kentucky ) which is currently classified as due to "non combat-related causes".
"Suicide bombers" and "suicide car bombers"? The AP reports that term is far from precise and that the Iraqi Defense Ministry issued a warning today based upon the fact that people are being kidnapped, released and then used as unknowing bombers via remote control from devices planted on them or their vehicles.
In peace news, Sue Anne Pressley Montes (Washington Post) reports "A group of ministers, veterans and peace activists attempted to deliver a 'declaration of peace' to the White House today, kicking off a week of vigils and other activities in 350 communities across the country calling for the prompt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq" and "The day's activities also featured vigils for peace in dozens of cities and towns, including Little Rock, Ark.; Tucson, Ariz.; Pasadena, Ca.; Miami, Fla.; Decatur, Ga.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Austin, Tex. In San Diego Friday, there will be a Dance Action for Peace; on Saturday in Cincinnati, a Peace Tent City will be erected. San Francisco is hosting a mass bicycle ride to protest the conflict, and Madison, Wisc., is holding community forums on the issue." The Declaration of Peace site contains a
Vigils Calendar that will help you find events in your area as well as more information.
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
mikey likes it
the common ills
iraq
the new york times
richard a. oppel
the washington post
sudarsan raghavan
sue anne pressley montes
declaration of peace
stevie nicks
fireflies
fleetwood mac
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Quick one
Well the gangs all together and I'm doing a quick post (which, with my typing probably means I'll be the last one to post, no matter what time everyone else starts posting). We had a lot of fun today and if I were able to keep from yawning, I wouldn't be posting right now but I'm afraid I'm going to fall out any second. (Remember, never be a fall out boy unless you're willing to have photos of your dick posted online! :D) I flew in with Rebecca, Fly Boy and Elaine and Rebecca had printed up some of Ava and C.I.'s TV reviews so we were reading those and laughing. Jim's always saying that if things ever get too busy for them to write a new review (and there's time to), that a thing could be done with their past reviews. You know how you see those books of movie reviews where they pull a paragraph or two from a review and list all these movies? I think that should be done with their reviews. Rebecca and me were trying to pick out different stuff we'd include. I think the Supernatural thing would be funny that way, about how it was like gay porn but the actors forget to take their clothes off. :D
So it's been a busy and fun day. We got here early and there's been so much to do that I really am yawning. I'm like mainlining Dr. Pepper and either it's not kicked in yet or it's not working, I'm about to fall over.
So let me note this thing that talks about Brat Lauer and Robin Roberts (of Good Morning America, I don't know who she is). This is Media Matters' "Today, Good Morning America didn't question Rice about Bush's contradictory bin Laden remarks, report of cronyism in Iraq reconstruction:"
Also, in discussions about the risk of Iraq descending into full-scale civil war, neither Lauer nor Roberts asked Rice about Washington Post staff writer Rajiv Chandrasekaran's front-page article from two days before, reporting that many of the individuals hired by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to assist in rebuilding Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion "lacked vital skills and experience" and were hired based on their "loyalty to the Bush administration" rather than their expertise in "the Middle East or in post-conflict reconstruction." The Post article further noted that "[t]he decision to send the loyal and the willing instead of the best and the brightest is now regarded by many people involved in the 3 1/2 -year effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq as one of the Bush administration's gravest errors."
Rice blamed the chaos in Iraq on years of rule by a "brutal dictator" and a tradition of solving problems through "violence and repression." Neither Lauer nor Roberts mentioned the political cronyism reported by the Post as another possible explanation for the current difficulties in Iraq. As Media Matters noted, cable and broadcast networks and major newspapers have ignored the Post report.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" and that's it for me, I'm wiped out:
Wednesday, September 20, 2006. Violence and chaos continue in Iraq with the Associated Press estimating at least 45 have died and the United Nations estimating that July and August saw the death of 6.5 thousand Iraqis; a British prosecutor argues an admitted war criminal heard the sounds of torture and compared them to a a choir singing; Camp Democracy continues in Washington DC on Women's Peace day;
and Iraqi vet and war resister Darrell Anderson discusses a planned September 29th return to the United States: "I just want to put my uniform back on and then tell them no to their face that 'I'm not going to participate in your war. Do whatever you want to me because I'm right and this is how I feel.' I've never had the chance to do that."
AFP reports that the United Nations, noting the increase in reported deaths since the start of July, has estimated that "[a]t least 6,599 civilians were killed across war-torn Iraq in the months of July and August".
And the violence goes on.
Bombings?
AFP notes six dead and thirty-seven wounded in Samarra "when a suicide bomber carried out the bloodiest attack by ramming his car into the house of a tribal leader" and, in Baghdad, three dead from a "suicide bomber driving a truck" in an attack on "a police station near an oil refinery". AP notes that seven were killed in the truck bombing attack on the police headquarters and that a police officer and two civilians were killed in a mortar attack in Baghdad. AP also notes that a roadside bomb claimed one life and left "two more wounded in east Baghdad".
Shootings?
AP reports that "a U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday by small arms fire in northeastern Baghdad" (we'll note US soldiers' death in a moment).
Corpses?
AP notes the "mutilated" corpse of a police officer was discovered in Kut. Reuters notes 35 corpses discovered in Baghdad "in the last 24 hours"
Iraq in microcosm. Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) looks at the farming of dates in Iraq and speaks to Iraqi farmer Aboud Ahdim Abbas Mohammad ("whose family has grown dates here since the 18th century") and "U.S. Army Maj. Marcus Snow, a member of the State Department Provincial Reconstruction Team in Dayala, . . . stockbroker from Lancaster, PA". Mohammad states his intent to remain in Iraq despite threats on his life and Snow can't stop raving about a desire for "better accounting, production and marketing practices . . . better packaging and transportion systems" and increasing the cost of exported dates by 10 percent. As malnutrition continues throughout Iraq (the alarming increase in malnutrition among children is only one population segment effected), the US occupation sees profit-motive and the people continue to go hungry.
Larger picture? Dahr Jamail and Ali Al-Fadhily (IPS) report on the continued destruction of Ramadi and "collective punishment of civilians in several cities across the al-Anbar province". They report on those teaching and attending the University of al-Anbar where: "Nearly every week we face raids by the Americans or their Iraqi colleagues" (a professor) and "The infrastructure destruction is huge around the governorate building in downtown Ramadi." They also quote Fayiq al-Dilaimy, an engineer "who was on the rebuilding committee set up after the November 2004 U.S.-led operation which destroyed approximately 75 percent of the city" who states:
"Infrastructure rebuilding is just a joke that nobody laughs at. People of this city could rebuild their city in six months if given a real chance. Now look at it and how sorrowful it looks under the boots of the 'liberators'."
In England, a court martial goes on against seven British soldiers. One, Donald Payne pleaded guilty to war crimes yesterday. The BBC reports that Payne, while copping to war crimes, "denied a further charge of perverting the course of justice." Devika Bhat (Times of London) notes that the argument made today was that Payne "enjoyed beating his prisoners until they became a 'choir,' of pain". The BBC quotes prosuctor Julian Bevan telling the court martial Payne was the "conducter": "The choir consisted of Cpl Payne systematically assaulting each detainee in turn by, for instance, hitting in their stomachs, kicking them and punching them wherever on their bodies, causing them to shriek out or groan in pain, their various noises constituting the music".
As noted above, a US soldier died from "small arms fire" in Baghdad. This is in addition to ones noted earlier today. Prior to the one who died from "small arms fire," as David Rising (AP) notes, "the US military [had] announced the deaths of four other soldiers in Iraq. On was killed Tuesday by a suicide car bombing, which also wounded two other soldiers. Antoher two soldiers were killed Sunday -- one by small arms fire and the other by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. A fourth soldier, assigned to a medical task force, died Monday of non-combat related injuries in the capital." Those four, the one who died from "small arms fire" and "an American soldier was killed by a roadside blast northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday." The current total of American fatalities since the beginning of the illegal war is 2691. Proving that he can at least recognize an increase, Giddy in the Greenzone William B. Caldwell IV has noted the obvious --- "Attacks against U.S. troops have increased".
In peace news, Armina Ligaya (Globe & Mail) spoke with war resister Darrell Anderson who was "one of the first of about 225 U.S. soldiers to flee to Canada since 2004". Courage to Resist has noted that Anderson is planning to return to the United States. Anderson explains to Ligaya that there are options prior to his planned return to the US which could explain Canada granting him refugee status or approving his sponsorship claim (Anderson is married to Canadian citizen Gail Greer.) Anderson doesn't have hopes of either happening by September 29th.
Today is Women's Peace Day and NOW and CODEPINK are joint-sponsoring events at Camp Democracy which is where the Troops Home Fast ends today on Day 78. An estimated 5,023 people are participating today and people have grabbed one-day only, one-day each week and longterm fasts through the 78 days. In addition, The Feminist Wire notes: "Other activities on Wednesday include a discussion on how to end violence in Iraq, an update on the violence against women in Juarez, a panel discussion by military women, and a history workshop led by Howard Zinn."
Tomorrow (Thursday Sept. 21st) is International Peace Day and Camp Democracy notes: "We will encourage Camp Democracy participants on this day to engage in activities organized by the Declaration of Peace, including a press conference at 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. followed by an action at the White House."
Actions will be going on around the US (Corvallis Gazette-Times notes a gathering Thursday, Sept. 21st, at the Benton County Courthouse, 120 N.W. Fourth St., Corvallis, OR) and around the world.)
A complete schedule can be found here.
In California, Martin Snapp (Contra Costa Times) reports the the Berkeley City Council "unanimously passed a resolution supporting Lt. Ehren Watada, an Army officer who is facing a court martial for refusing to go to Iraq." George Coates (Berkeley Daily Planet) writes of Berkeley mayor Tom Bates: "Now Bates is up for re-election at a time when many high school-age students are learning that the U.S. military is monitoring their MySpace pages and targeting potential recruits. The plight of soldiers like Lt. Erhen Watada, the first commissioned officer to go AWOL from duty in Iraq, has also triggered fears that a national draft could be reinstated if the number of volunteer enlistments continue to decline as the war threatens to widen. Progressive Berkeley City Councilmember Dona Spring's effort to pass a resolution in support of Lt. Watada is important because if it succeeds the city will have deepened its stance against the war and candidates for mayor will have heard the message: Sanctuary for war resisters is a local issue that no serious candidate for mayor can evade."
More information on Watada can be found at Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org.
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
the third estate sunday review
like maria said paz
mikey likes it
the common ills
iraq
the washington postsudarsan raghavancamp democracy
ehren watada
nowcodepink
camp democracy
howard zinn
the feminist wire
dahr jamailali al-fadhily
So it's been a busy and fun day. We got here early and there's been so much to do that I really am yawning. I'm like mainlining Dr. Pepper and either it's not kicked in yet or it's not working, I'm about to fall over.
So let me note this thing that talks about Brat Lauer and Robin Roberts (of Good Morning America, I don't know who she is). This is Media Matters' "Today, Good Morning America didn't question Rice about Bush's contradictory bin Laden remarks, report of cronyism in Iraq reconstruction:"
Also, in discussions about the risk of Iraq descending into full-scale civil war, neither Lauer nor Roberts asked Rice about Washington Post staff writer Rajiv Chandrasekaran's front-page article from two days before, reporting that many of the individuals hired by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to assist in rebuilding Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion "lacked vital skills and experience" and were hired based on their "loyalty to the Bush administration" rather than their expertise in "the Middle East or in post-conflict reconstruction." The Post article further noted that "[t]he decision to send the loyal and the willing instead of the best and the brightest is now regarded by many people involved in the 3 1/2 -year effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq as one of the Bush administration's gravest errors."
Rice blamed the chaos in Iraq on years of rule by a "brutal dictator" and a tradition of solving problems through "violence and repression." Neither Lauer nor Roberts mentioned the political cronyism reported by the Post as another possible explanation for the current difficulties in Iraq. As Media Matters noted, cable and broadcast networks and major newspapers have ignored the Post report.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" and that's it for me, I'm wiped out:
Wednesday, September 20, 2006. Violence and chaos continue in Iraq with the Associated Press estimating at least 45 have died and the United Nations estimating that July and August saw the death of 6.5 thousand Iraqis; a British prosecutor argues an admitted war criminal heard the sounds of torture and compared them to a a choir singing; Camp Democracy continues in Washington DC on Women's Peace day;
and Iraqi vet and war resister Darrell Anderson discusses a planned September 29th return to the United States: "I just want to put my uniform back on and then tell them no to their face that 'I'm not going to participate in your war. Do whatever you want to me because I'm right and this is how I feel.' I've never had the chance to do that."
AFP reports that the United Nations, noting the increase in reported deaths since the start of July, has estimated that "[a]t least 6,599 civilians were killed across war-torn Iraq in the months of July and August".
And the violence goes on.
Bombings?
AFP notes six dead and thirty-seven wounded in Samarra "when a suicide bomber carried out the bloodiest attack by ramming his car into the house of a tribal leader" and, in Baghdad, three dead from a "suicide bomber driving a truck" in an attack on "a police station near an oil refinery". AP notes that seven were killed in the truck bombing attack on the police headquarters and that a police officer and two civilians were killed in a mortar attack in Baghdad. AP also notes that a roadside bomb claimed one life and left "two more wounded in east Baghdad".
Shootings?
AP reports that "a U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday by small arms fire in northeastern Baghdad" (we'll note US soldiers' death in a moment).
Corpses?
AP notes the "mutilated" corpse of a police officer was discovered in Kut. Reuters notes 35 corpses discovered in Baghdad "in the last 24 hours"
Iraq in microcosm. Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) looks at the farming of dates in Iraq and speaks to Iraqi farmer Aboud Ahdim Abbas Mohammad ("whose family has grown dates here since the 18th century") and "U.S. Army Maj. Marcus Snow, a member of the State Department Provincial Reconstruction Team in Dayala, . . . stockbroker from Lancaster, PA". Mohammad states his intent to remain in Iraq despite threats on his life and Snow can't stop raving about a desire for "better accounting, production and marketing practices . . . better packaging and transportion systems" and increasing the cost of exported dates by 10 percent. As malnutrition continues throughout Iraq (the alarming increase in malnutrition among children is only one population segment effected), the US occupation sees profit-motive and the people continue to go hungry.
Larger picture? Dahr Jamail and Ali Al-Fadhily (IPS) report on the continued destruction of Ramadi and "collective punishment of civilians in several cities across the al-Anbar province". They report on those teaching and attending the University of al-Anbar where: "Nearly every week we face raids by the Americans or their Iraqi colleagues" (a professor) and "The infrastructure destruction is huge around the governorate building in downtown Ramadi." They also quote Fayiq al-Dilaimy, an engineer "who was on the rebuilding committee set up after the November 2004 U.S.-led operation which destroyed approximately 75 percent of the city" who states:
"Infrastructure rebuilding is just a joke that nobody laughs at. People of this city could rebuild their city in six months if given a real chance. Now look at it and how sorrowful it looks under the boots of the 'liberators'."
In England, a court martial goes on against seven British soldiers. One, Donald Payne pleaded guilty to war crimes yesterday. The BBC reports that Payne, while copping to war crimes, "denied a further charge of perverting the course of justice." Devika Bhat (Times of London) notes that the argument made today was that Payne "enjoyed beating his prisoners until they became a 'choir,' of pain". The BBC quotes prosuctor Julian Bevan telling the court martial Payne was the "conducter": "The choir consisted of Cpl Payne systematically assaulting each detainee in turn by, for instance, hitting in their stomachs, kicking them and punching them wherever on their bodies, causing them to shriek out or groan in pain, their various noises constituting the music".
As noted above, a US soldier died from "small arms fire" in Baghdad. This is in addition to ones noted earlier today. Prior to the one who died from "small arms fire," as David Rising (AP) notes, "the US military [had] announced the deaths of four other soldiers in Iraq. On was killed Tuesday by a suicide car bombing, which also wounded two other soldiers. Antoher two soldiers were killed Sunday -- one by small arms fire and the other by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. A fourth soldier, assigned to a medical task force, died Monday of non-combat related injuries in the capital." Those four, the one who died from "small arms fire" and "an American soldier was killed by a roadside blast northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday." The current total of American fatalities since the beginning of the illegal war is 2691. Proving that he can at least recognize an increase, Giddy in the Greenzone William B. Caldwell IV has noted the obvious --- "Attacks against U.S. troops have increased".
In peace news, Armina Ligaya (Globe & Mail) spoke with war resister Darrell Anderson who was "one of the first of about 225 U.S. soldiers to flee to Canada since 2004". Courage to Resist has noted that Anderson is planning to return to the United States. Anderson explains to Ligaya that there are options prior to his planned return to the US which could explain Canada granting him refugee status or approving his sponsorship claim (Anderson is married to Canadian citizen Gail Greer.) Anderson doesn't have hopes of either happening by September 29th.
Today is Women's Peace Day and NOW and CODEPINK are joint-sponsoring events at Camp Democracy which is where the Troops Home Fast ends today on Day 78. An estimated 5,023 people are participating today and people have grabbed one-day only, one-day each week and longterm fasts through the 78 days. In addition, The Feminist Wire notes: "Other activities on Wednesday include a discussion on how to end violence in Iraq, an update on the violence against women in Juarez, a panel discussion by military women, and a history workshop led by Howard Zinn."
Tomorrow (Thursday Sept. 21st) is International Peace Day and Camp Democracy notes: "We will encourage Camp Democracy participants on this day to engage in activities organized by the Declaration of Peace, including a press conference at 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. followed by an action at the White House."
Actions will be going on around the US (Corvallis Gazette-Times notes a gathering Thursday, Sept. 21st, at the Benton County Courthouse, 120 N.W. Fourth St., Corvallis, OR) and around the world.)
A complete schedule can be found here.
In California, Martin Snapp (Contra Costa Times) reports the the Berkeley City Council "unanimously passed a resolution supporting Lt. Ehren Watada, an Army officer who is facing a court martial for refusing to go to Iraq." George Coates (Berkeley Daily Planet) writes of Berkeley mayor Tom Bates: "Now Bates is up for re-election at a time when many high school-age students are learning that the U.S. military is monitoring their MySpace pages and targeting potential recruits. The plight of soldiers like Lt. Erhen Watada, the first commissioned officer to go AWOL from duty in Iraq, has also triggered fears that a national draft could be reinstated if the number of volunteer enlistments continue to decline as the war threatens to widen. Progressive Berkeley City Councilmember Dona Spring's effort to pass a resolution in support of Lt. Watada is important because if it succeeds the city will have deepened its stance against the war and candidates for mayor will have heard the message: Sanctuary for war resisters is a local issue that no serious candidate for mayor can evade."
More information on Watada can be found at Courage to Resist and ThankYouLt.org.
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