Tuesday. C.I. e-mailed me something and I shared it with Elaine (Like Maria Said Paz). We're both noting it and that may be it other than the snapshot. This is from Ken Silverstein's "The Press and the Campaign: Boosting Obama and McCain:"
Another factor in Obama's favor is (just as the Clinton campaign claims) that the media seems to be strongly in his corner. McCain gets great press too, far better than any of the other Republican contenders. In some accounts, his fourth place tie in Iowa was deemed to be as impressive as Mike Huckabee’s triumph. "Tonight is a fantastic night for John McCain," the XXXX's Mike Allen told Fox News. "Except for Barack Obama, there’s almost no one you’d rather be tonight than John McCain."
Painful as it is for me to cite Howard Kurtz, he wrote a good piece about the respective coverage last month, noting, "Journalists repeatedly described Obama as a 'rock star' when he jumped into the race in January. His missteps -- such as when his staff mocked Clinton’s position on the outsourcing of jobs overseas by referring to the Democrat not as representing a state but as 'D-Punjab' -- generated modest coverage, but rarely at the level surrounding Clinton’s mistakes."
Remember that big story about how "an Obama volunteer wearing a press pass asked the candidate a friendly question about tax policy at an Iowa event"? Neither do I. As Kurtz noted, citing an online posting by ABC, "[S]everal of the assembled reporters huddled and concluded that it was not a story, one of them said. Clinton faced a storm of media criticism over a similar planted question."
You may have also missed this good piece from last July by Justin Rood of ABC, "Despite Rhetoric, Obama Pushed Lobbyists' Interests," which got little pick up. I suspect it would have been far more widely circulated if the name "Clinton" appeared in the headline.)
In the piece Silverstein makes the point that the coverage is influenced by the reporters. And it is. But, let me point out, C.I. does not care for Dennis Kucinich. That dates back to at least 2004. And did anyone ever know that? I didn't. And I read everything that goes up at The Common Ills. I assumed, honestly, that C.I. didn't endorse Kucinich (when everyone was doing it at Kat's site [Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)]) because of the no-endorse policy. I assumed that C.I. was ga-ga over Kucinich and felt really bad about it because my mother (Trina's Kitchen) was and my girlfriend endorses him and if even C.I. loves him, what am I missing?
So when Rebecca (Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude) brought it up in "Roundtable," I was floored. So my point there is you can hate someone and still be fair. Until Kucinich exposed himself as a fake by making a deal to 'give' Obama his supporters, Kucinich got noted constantly at The Common Ills and C.I. doesn't even like Kucinich. I bet if the media had done their job of presenting even some reality about Bambi, C.I. wouldn't have even written a word. But they didn't. They played favorites. And it really does come down to truth, are you going to tell it or not?
Do you have a standard you apply fairly or do you create one standard for one candidate and no standards for another?
We've seen that the Koo Koo Krowd (which includes Robert Parry these days), doesn't give a damn about standards. They'll have them for Hillary and they'll put them in a safe for Obama. They'll work so hard to ignore what he does that they're just LIARS.
And you really should be asking yourself why they're willing to lie for him?
As far as I'm concerned, it'll take Robert Parry some time to put what he's done behind him. He is now up there with Judith Miller when it comes to pushing lies. And I thought of him as a real journalist so it's all the more shocking when he does it. He's not the only one doing it.
I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for.
But I know I'm not going to vote for 'independent' media which isn't independent.
I think we've seen just about enough crap from independent media. I get now why Elaine refuses to give it money (she'll give to public radio -- that includes NPR). They really are just little liars with very few exceptions. They lie and lie and lie, over and over. And they never give a damn about it. Then they turn around and ask you to give them money.
Why would you give money to a liar so they can keep lying?
Cedric (Cedric's Big Mix) is probably supporting Hillary Clinton. (He talked about it in "Roundtable on the media.") I don't know who I'm supporting yet. But Cedric and I have talked and talked about the Dem candidates. I know he was really searching for who to support (he knows I still am) and it wasn't a decision he made in one day, one week or one month. I wouldn't be surprised, with Kucinich revealing himself to be a fake, if Betty (Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man) didn't go back to supporting Hillary. And I know she follows reality -- as opposed to the LIES of independent media.
So I know a lot of people are doing more than taking in the non-stop hogwash being fed on Obama. We should all be sick of it and sick of independent media. They've disgraced themselves.
That's the real lesson in the last few years: Media LIES. All media. Whether they claim to tell the truth or not, they LIE.
Here's truth: Independent media on the left is just Democratic media.
They pretend otherwise. But that's really what it came down to.
When Robert Parry's joined the spin patrol, stick a fork in the ass of indymedia because it's over.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Tuesday, January 8, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, Thom Shanker flies his right-wing flag (and betrays his allegedly 'objective' profession), sexism is the last refuge to which the barely still Middle Aged Man clings, and more.
Starting with war resistance. In Canada the focus is on getting the Canadian Parliament to act when the judicial branch has thus far failed. November 15th, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the appeals of war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. Parliament is the solution.Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use. Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.
The War Resisters Support Campaign has more on the action in Canada:
The War Resisters Support Campaign has called a pan-Canadian mobilization on Saturday, January 26th, 2008 to ensure :
1) that deportation proceedings against U.S. war resisters currently in Canada cease immediately; and 2) that a provision be enacted by Parliament ensuring that U.S. war resisters refusing to fight in Iraq have a means to gain status in Canada.
For listings of local actions, see our Events page. If you are able to organize a rally in your community, contact the Campaign -- we will list events as details come in.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
Don't you hate it when the right-wing puts out the false talking point that the US press and the US military are at odds? Does it go down any easier for you when it comes from the mainstream? Monday, Thom Shanker (New York Times) slimed journalists (his peers -- at least before he wrote the piece) with one lie after another such as this one: "At the start of the Iraq war, decades of open hostilities between the military and news media dating from Vietnam were forgotten". Decades, Shanker says in his best Ann Coulter. Decades? When has the press and the military not been in bed? When April Oliver was kicked off CNN (she would later be vindicated in a court of law) where did the pressure come from? The military. Now a truly "hostile" media wouldn't have given a damn. They would have noted Oliver's reporting stood up and that would be the end of that, no matter how many times Collie Powell came calling. But that's not what happened because -- and there are many more examples -- when the US military brass wants something, the US mainstream press puts on the red light and gets the money up front. Shanks the Clown may not bring in a lot of money, but he works the corner come rain or shine. Shanks tells readers that the US military is pleased as punch these days with the coverage. And why wouldn't they be? Flashing back to November when Project for Excellence in Journalism's report (PDF format here, our summary here) survey was released -- a survey of 111 US journalists (mainstream media) who have covered Iraq and found that 62 percent of respondents stated their "editors back home" had lost interest in reports of day-to-day violence. And the 'coverage' reflects that message sent down the chain. Which may be why Shank's reach-around-pals in the brass are so tickled these days. (Or maybe Shanks just has a light touch.) Shanks fails his now-former peers by refusing to ever note the point of journalism. Or maybe he just never learned it? Reporters are not public relations flacks. They are supposed to root around and unearth the truth. Reporters are not supposed to make the powerful comfortable. Shanks (maybe it's that light touch) seems bound and determined to make them comfortable and, in doing so, feeds right-wing lies from the news pages of the New York Times. He really worked for those five dollars.
Staying with the Times, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Mudhafer al-Husaini notice that the US collabortors ("Awakening" Council) are being targeted now. Now? Now they're being targeted? As noted in the June 25th snapshot, Baghdad's al-Mansour Melia was bombed and the targets were? The Sunni tribal leaders who were "Awakening" and collaborating. CNN reports that 8 of the 'Awakening' Council were kidnapped in Baghdad in an attack today that also led to 14 other people being killed: "The Shiite Awakening Council members were kidnapped Monday night in the northeastern Shiite neighborhood of Shaab, one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas and a center for outlawed Shiite Muslim fighters, the official said. Gunmen in at least three vehicles surrounded a checkpoint controlled by the Shiite Awakening Council in Shaab and seized their victims, said the official."
In other reality based news today, Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) notes the p.r. push on the Iraqi army and reminds that "relying on Iraqi security forces has proved risky. In February, when Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. handed off command of U.S. troops in Iraq to Gen. David H. Petraeus, he predicted that Iraqi forces would be in charge of security nationwide by fall." Didn't happen, now did it? But they presumably run the checkpoints where a kidnapping took place today.
Turning to some of the reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports the targeting of officials goes on in Baghdad where an bombing killed Dr. Falah Mansour Hussein ("head of Yarmouk council"), while a bomber in a vest killed his or herself and 1 police officer (with three more people wounded), a Medain district mortar attack wounded two people and a Diyala Province bombing clained the life of 1 woman. Reuters notes a Tikrit bombing that left three police officers injured and a Shura roadside bombing that claimed 1 life.
Shootings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that the targeting of officials goes on in Baghdad where Mohammad Aziz Al-Gatia was gunned down ("an officer of the minitary of interior") while "the deputy of Masnour taxes department" was also gunned down. Reuters notes an attorney was shot dead by police officers in Kut -- apparently by mistake.
Kidnappings?
In addition to CNN's report on the 8 members of the alleged 'Awakening' Council being kidnapped in Baghdad today, Reuters notes, "A police officer and his driver were kidnapped in their car at a checkpoint while travelling from Baghdad to Baquba in Diyala province, police said."
Corpses?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 corpses were discovered in Baghdad. Reuters notes 3 corpses were discovered in Mosul.
Turning to US politics. In his latest column, Robert Parry (Consortium News) makes it clear where he stands on the Clintons: "The Clintons rarely stood up for decent individuals who suffered for doing the right thing in Washington, usually those people got sold out as the Clintons sought out unprincipled characters on the other side who could be put to short-term use." Really? Seems at odds with key points of Parry's Secrecy & Privilege, doesn't it? If you've read it, you're aware of Spencer Oliver's complaint wasn't that the Clinton's "sought out unprincipled characters," it was that they "didn't even staff key offices with loyalists" and Parry quotes Oliver here, "They left a lot of people in place in the government who were hardcore Republican operatives. Their loyalties were not to Clinton at all. . . . The whole first three years of the Clinton administration, everything they did wrong was leaked, every, every peccadillo, every mistake, whether it was the White House Travel Office, Hillary's (health care) task force, whatever it was. They never really took control of the government." I believe that's page 266 (from memory, so anyone needing a citation check it out first). Having written repeatedly of Bill Clinton (and somewhat of Hillary) for years, Parry's only chosen to recently come out as a Clinton-hater. "The Clintons rarely stood up for decent individuals who suffered for doing the right thing in Washington, usually those people got sold out as the Clintons sought out unprincipled characters on the other side who could be put to short-term use."
Geez, how long has been holding that in? Was he in danger of exploding? You have to love that stylistic touch, "decent individuals" -- implying they would have stood up for the indecent? For those trying to figure out when Parry became a Clinton hater it appears to have been when a woman decided to run for president.
Bill and Hillary are not as evil as some have made them out to be nor was the Clinton era as wonderful as some on the Democratic side (I wouldn't call it the left) have repeatedly maintained year after year this decade. Some of their problems were their own. Some of their problems were the result of the right-wing noise machine. It's not that Hillary is a saint that's the problem with some of these revisionary pieces showing up lately, it's that the things they're hammering her to the cross for are the same things evident in Barack Obama.
Parry leaves the world of reporting with the column and that may be most noticeable with this sentence about Bambi, "Indeed, he may be the only Democrat in the race who can transcend the expected dirty politics of the Right and achieve a victory that can trasnform American politics for the better." Before we go into that, the tired online, latter-day Dylan rushes that same nonsense out -- surprising considering all the threatening e-mails his putrid friend has bothered me with for over a year now as he maintained that Hillary Clinton would have the nomination despite people like me.
People like me? This community has called her out for Iraq. That is our focus here. But unlike the groupies, we've called Bambi out too. As Bruce Dixon (Black Agenda Report) has noted of the two candidates, they are siamese twins. Hillary's crime for some is being a triangulator. What does that mean? She 'reaches across the aisle,' the same thing Bambi does. Bambi backed Joe Lieberman as an independent candidate against Ned Lamont. Backed him publicly with words and backed him with money from his slush fund a.k.a. political pac. Bambi takes pride in decrying "Tom Hayden Democrats" and rushes to the right as if he's in search of a veneral disease.
Parry, like too many of the Middle Aged Men providing cover for Bambi, likes to cite the youth. Bambi inspires the youth. Not all. Just the stupid. Just the ones dumb enough to believe the hype they've been fed. As Russell Mokhiber (writing at CounterPunch) points out, "While idealistic young people are swooning over Obama's message of hope, faith and change -- no one inside the beltway has any doubts about the corporate connections. The Hill reported earlier this year that three of Obama's top fundraisers were registered as lobbyists in 2006." Last week, Robert Parry appeared on Democracy Now! and Willie Safire never did such a hit job (he tried, he really tried, but Parry has intelligence and Willie doesn't). Parry made many claims:
*"One of the concerns, for instance, about Senator Hillary Clinton has been her ties to the Washington establishment, whether she is too much of a calculating politician."
This is a talking point for the Bambi campaign and, intentionally or not, Parry showed up to advance it. It was carried over to the Iowa night photos of the two speaking onstage. As Ava and I pointed out (though Parry plays dumb):
If you're one of the (lucky) few who missed the photos 'commentary' that was everywhere Friday morning, Hillary was pictured with Bill, Mad Maddie Albright and Wesley Clark among others. Barack Obama offered a White Bennington ad (though no one commented on the Whiteness of it all). Dr. Kathy saw symbolism in the photos, saw portents, saw . . . a load of crap. Here's the reality Dr. Kathy and others wouldn't tell you, Hillary's photo was your basic speech photo with the candidate surrounded by their team. Bambi's people, Technicolor by Deluxe wizards that they are, saw a chance to use the speech to send a false message. Now the reality is that Bambi's backed by Sammy Power, Sarah Sewer, Anthony Lake, Dennis Ross and Zbigniew Brzezinski among others. So a lot of garbage about how the photos say this or that ("Change!" "Break with tradition!" on Bambi's part) needs to note the reality of what's not said in the photos.
Parry was working all the Bambi talking points (intentionally or not) and went on to declare, "And one of the surprising issues that emerged early in the debates was her support of the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, which was a resolution to declare the Iran Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. And she was seen as sort of playing to, again, this sense that she would be part of that Washington establishment of how these kinds of issues are approached. She seems to be playing into the hands, again, of the neoconservatives."
He went on to call Hillary out for statements Bill had made -- even Amy Goodman felt the need to note that ("Now, of course, this is not a comment about what his wife, the New York senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton, would do if she were president.") But his talking points were pure Bambi campaign: "It again brings back issues of judgment by Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd and Senator Biden, who supported the Iraq operation, and again, in this case, Senator Obama, who opposed the Iraq war, although not inside the Senate at the time, is able to point out that he did not make those kinds of judgments."
No, Bambi wasn't in the Senate. In 2002, he called the illegal war "dumb." And after? He gets a lot of mileage from that one lame speech (a legal expert calls the Iraq War "illegal," not "dumb") but what happened after? Bruce Dixon (Black Agenda Report) points out that when Bully Boy was riding high in the polls with the May 2003 "Mission Accomplished" speech, Obama's Senate campaign website disappeared the speech: "After calls to Obama's campaign office yielded no satisfactory answers, we published an article in the June 5, 2003 issue of Black Commentator effectively calling Barack Obama out. We drew attention to the disappearance of any indication that the U.S. Senate candidate Obama opposed the Iraq war at all from his web site and public statements. We noted with consternation that the Democratic Leadership Council, the right wing Trojan Horse inside the Democratic Party, had apparently vetted and approved Obama, naming him as one of its '100 to Watch' that season. This is what real journalists are suppoed to do -- fact check candidates, investigate the facts, tell the truth to audiences and hold the little clay feet of politicians and corporations to the fire." Dixon is correct, that is what real journalists are supposed to do -- but Bambi mania has revealed the US has damn few real journalists.
Bambi himself would tell the New York Times in 2004 and The New Yorker in 2006 that, if he had been in the Senate in 2002, he didn't know how he would have voted on the Iraq resolution. But what does it matter, his groupies know how he would have voted. Based on his Senate record? Oh, that is funny. While Parry clobbered Hillary for voting on the Iran resolution, he failed to note that Bambi, then in the Senate, chose to skip that vote. While Parry trashes Hillary as someone who sells out and Bambi's "True Blue" ("Baby, Parry loves you"), Hillary Clinton voted against the Senate resolution to condemn MoveOn.org for the Betray Us ad. Bambi? Bambi skipped that vote too. On votes that mattered, in fact, Bambi either skipped out or he voted in an embarrassing manner. Such as his repeated votes to fund the illegal war. Real journalists would know Bambi's record. Real journalists would share Bambi's record. There aren't a lot of real journalists left. We do see a huge number of Bambi groupies. And they will lie freely. (One wonders if the "blotted" Colin Powell endorsing Bambi will lead to a Parry column noting -- yet again -- the crimes of Powell or whether that too can be spun feel-good?)
I don't care whether someone votes for Obama, Clinton, John Edwards, Green Party candidates or whomever. People are responsible for their own votes (or for not voting). What I do care is about the truth and it's been really interesting to find out how few do care about the truth.
Parry waits until the second paragraph of his column to get to the 'tears' -- I guess that's 'progressive' of him. Hillary Clinton was asked a question and, during the response, her eyes misted over. She did not tear up -- if she had, a tear would have ran. You can't start to cry and then stop the tears. You can end the crying immediately and be left with a tear or two but if you are 'tearing up,' you have a tear and it will fall. That's basic. Kat addressed the nonsense of the media yesterday (and we'll get back to a point Kat made in a minute). Katha Pollitt (And Another Thing, The Nation) continues her hot and sensible streak of late, observing, "John Edwards just lost my vote. How dare he take cheap shots at Hillary Clinton for letting her eyes mist over (not 'crying' as was widely reported) at a meeting with voters in Portsmouth NH earlier today? This is a man who has used his most private tragedies--his wife's cancer, his son's fatal accident -- in his campaign in a way that had a woman done the same she would surely be accused of 'oprahfying' the lofty realm of politics. This is also the man who promoted himself early on as the real women's candidate, and who has repeatedly used his likeable wife to humanize his rather slick and one-dimensional persona. Today he deployed against Hillary the oldest, dumbest canard about women: they're too emotional to hold power." Katha misses something (or, maybe like the rest of us, she's had it with the sexim repeatedly on display and can only tackle so much). Yesterday, a man (you knew it was a man, right) showed up at one of Hillary's speeches holding a sign that read a 'slogan' he also 'helpfully' chanted, "Iron this shirt!" Kat (rightly) wondered which Little Boys of the Left would call that out? Answer? Not Parry. He can note the 'tear,' he just can't note the sexism -- maybe noting them would be exposing all the sexism involved. Air Berman (at The Nation, no link, you'll see why in a minute) does note it . . . in paragraph five of a six paragraph post. But credit to Berman for noting it, it puts him far ahead of the other Little Boys of the Left. Ruith Conniff (The Progressive) also shows some real strength today declaring, "Let's call the focus on Hillary's brief teary-eyed moment what it is: pure sexism."
(Caution Little Boys of the Left, Conniff also notes, "But on policy matters and fundraising, Barack and Hillary are actually not that far apart." Just warning you, before your viagra-ehanced boners shrink, we all know how you need those fantasies, trained as you were by the Playboy centerfolds.) So Ari Berman buries an ugly attack on Hillary in paragraph five and who else bothers to note it? Hey fellows, what's going on? What smear would the sign have had to offer on Obama to get you pounding furiously away at the keyboards?
Gloria Steinem (writing in the New York Times) sums up what's going on:
So why is the sex barrier not taken as seriously as the racial one? The reasons are as pervasive as the air we breathe: because sexism is still confused with nature as racism once was; because anything that affects males is seen as more serious than anything that affects "only" the female half of the human race; because children are still raised mostly by women (to put it mildly) so men especially tend to feel they are regressing to childhood when dealing with a powerful woman; because racism stereotyped black men as more "masculine" for so long that some white men find their presence to be masculinity-affirming (as long as there aren't too many of them); and because there is still no "right" way to be a woman in public power without being considered a you-know-what.
Here's why it matters in terms of Iraq: the 'boys' are giving Bambi a pass while beating Hillary over the head with Iraq. Bambi's not a damn bit different on Iraq. (He may be worse considering that he's got Sewer, et al backing him up.) And voters have a right to know that. Citizens have a right to know that. And journalists have an obligation to report that. Again, not a lot of journalism on display from the Little Boys of the Left. Sexism? It's overflowing. Bully Boy got a pass from the MSM and the right-wing. And Bully Boy provided us with the long planned Iraq War. If elected, what's Barack going to provide people with and how betrayed are they going to feel by independent media or alleged independent media?
iraq
iraq veterans against the war
mcclatchy newspapers
amy goodmandemocracy now
gloria steinem
the new york times
katha pollitt
robert parry
ruth conniff
thom shanker
kats korner
tina susman
the los angeles times
richard a. oppel jr.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Monday, January 07, 2008
Third & Bambi
Bah-da-bah-da-da-dah. :D Monday, Monday. Hope everyone had a great weekend. If you didn't catch it, Cedric's "They were stars" and Wally's "THIS JUST IN! WHEN THE CAMERAS AND MICROPHONES VANISH!" -- the joint-post that went up Saturday. We missed this when picking highlights yesterday so you'll probably see it noted tonight. Saturday posts are the worst. Not in writing. But for most of us, Saturday's an off day. So when things go up then, we tend to miss them because we're already doing our day. Apologies to Wally and Cedric who did a great job with this comedy post about life in Iowa when the national press leaves.
If the Obama groupies haven't yet scared you, note this groupie on Democracy Now! today:
AMY GOODMAN: What most appeals to you about him? Are there positions he has taken that you deeply care about?
MELODY CHAN: Yeah. For example, I mean, I would say that my values and my ideas just align so closely with what he has to say, and I particularly like, you know, his approach, I'd say, to foreign policy, which is, you know, one of talking to everyone at the table and not just--you know, it's a very different approach probably than the one we’ve seen in the last four, eight years.
Hey! I'm like an airhead and like an idiot and I like love Obama! I'm like politically correct Drunk Girl from Saturday Night Live! Yea! He like talks and stuff. Like talking it like way important to like me. Yea!
What a dumb ass. Really, stop it, you embarass all of us who are thinking students.
It's not just the young groupies, it's the professional ones too. Take Gilligan who pens "An Obama Victory Would Symbolise a Great Deal and Change Very Little" (no link to trash) and the title makes you think Gilligan's going to be balanced. He wasn't. He's whoring himself out for Obama. Hope he made a few bucks for the campaign.
Gilligan writes for the Guardian AND The Nation. So let's check out what Obama's girlfriends at The Nation have to moan today. The Two Aris massage one another's prostate and ooh and aaah as they dream of fondling Bambi. Meanwhile The Dick Jon Wiener reveals his woman problem by contributing "Hillary's Man Problem." Three girlfriends hoping in search of a fourth to round out their Sex in the City tipsy-tipsy act. They'd go with Katrina vanden Heuvel, but she's too manly for the girls. Maybe they can invite The Pooper to their party? Meanwhile, let's not pretend The Three Sexist Pigs aren't huffing and puffing to blow Hillary's house down because she's a woman.
When I get time, I'll probably start thinning my permalinks. No offense to Rebecca, but Robert Parry will be among the ones ditched. I don't care for people who say, "She shouldn't have had orange juice!" while Bambi's got his own sippy cup out. I have no idea what Parry's problem with Hillary is but the fact that he's taken in by Bambi means he's not as smart as I thought he was. The fact that he has a double standard (calling Hillary out for her vote on the Iran resolution last year while praising Bambi who skipped the vote) means he's not someone on my go-to list now.
Let's talk The Third Estate Sunday Review where we keep it real:
Truest statement of the week -- This is Hillary Clinton. I was surprised as well. I'd missed the debate (Dad tivoed). Ava and C.I. watched it because they were including it in their TV commentary. Ava mentioned Hillary's statement -- not as a truest -- and Jim, Cedric, Ty and I all go, "That's it!"
Truest statement of the week II -- Kat got the other one. :D That's funny. If you know how Kat's phrase ended up in a candidate's campaign, you get why it's funny. If you don't, too bad.
A Note to Our Readers -- Jim breaks down the edition. And notes that Wally & Cedric's posts got posted as a special Iowa bonus. This edition really was about Iowa because so few will call it out and want to act like it's normal and acceptable that Iowa gets to use their puny pool of voters from their puny, overly-White (93% White) voters to determine who is the 'winner' for the nation.
Editorial: 2008 already doesn't look good -- I like this one. Dona suggested it. We had no idea what we were going to cover in the editorial. Jim wanted Iowa in it somehow due to the theme but no one wanted another word about Iowa. So Dona figured out how to make it a grab bag. It's really good.
TV: The Dead and Missing Persons -- Ava and C.I. are amazing. Damn, they're amazing. Ava told me it was "exhuasting" to write this. And I started thinking about that and how she and C.I. are speaking every week about the illegal war and all the stuff they both do. I can't wait until the writers' strike is over so they can go back to covering entertainment TV and not have to work so hard. Jim said, "They are the strongest, there's really no arguing it." And that's really true. That's within the community and outside. This is amazing.
Roundtable -- 2 things stand out most here. C.I. doesn't like Kucinich. I had no idea. That's cool with me. I didn't know if C.I. was for Kucinich or not but assumed C.I. liked Kucinich. Rebecca reveals the truth in this. And it's fine because Kucinich's campaign is over (he just doesn't seem to get that it is). But while it was still alive, think about how many times C.I. never said a word and kept noting Kucinich. The media is supposed to be objective. C.I. actually was.
2nd thing is this is already being called the "sex roundtable." Jim's working the e-mails for Third this week (working solo) and he says it's the "sex roundtable" in e-mail after e-mail (read C.I.'s comments, Kat's comments and Rebecca's because they are the most noted in e-mails according to Jim). But Jim did say that people are saying, "I never knew that about __" some war resister. So it served the purpose.
Roundtable on the media -- This focuses on the non-stop free pass that Obama always gets from the media. I love this roundtable. We weren't planning on two. But they're really strong, both roundtables, and different enough.
Wack job of the week -- I love this feature. And it was Elaine's idea.
2007 Archives -- This provides the archives for 2007, week by week, so that you can find them easily.
Theft of the week -- Koo Koo needed a topic so she borrowed it from Deliah Boyd.
When the circus leaves town -- This is a repost of Wally & Cedric's take on Iowa after the national press leaves. It is hilarious. C.I. thought it had been noted somewhere and realized it hadn't. So it was done Sunday night. It fits with the Iowa theme too.
Highlights -- Kat, Elaine, Betty, Rebecca, Wally, Cedric and I wrote this. We missed Wally and Cedric's Saturday post. Otherwise, I think we did a pretty good job.
Dallas helped and here's who else worked on the edition:
The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and Jim,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz
,and Wally of The Daily Jot
Okay, here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Monday, January 7, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths over the weekend and also 'clarifies' deaths in December, Democratic presidential candidates rediscover the illegal war, and more.
Starting with war resistance. Urar reposts the Freedom Socialist Party's 2008 outline and summary which notes, But, as we enter the eighth year of the new millennium, opportunities exist to fight back and to make real change! To borrow from the Asian Zodiac, the coming Year of the Rat will be a time of hard work and constant activity." FSP applies that to the ability to "build on our victories in 2007 some of them tangible, some of them gains in consciousness" and notes, "Lt. Ehren Watada is a bright voice among GI resisters and their families who are telling the military that it's immoral and illegal to fight in Iraq." This time last year, Lance Holter's essay on Watada was published at Peace Corps Online:
I learned about the courage of conviction last week when I meat (as a guest during a family dinner in Honolulu) with a courageous young American patriot. A leader who lives by example. An individual, who out of a decision of moral conscience, refuses to participate in a war that he believes (after much personal research) violates the U.S. Constitution, Geneva accords, Nuremberg principals, and the United Nations Charter.
First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, a 28 year old U.S. Army artillery officer from Hawaii, has become the first active duty military officer publicly to oppose the war in Iraq. As a result of his act of conscience and challenging what we now know about the war in Iraq, Lt. Watada is facing military court martial at Ft. Lewis Washington this February 5, 2007.
[. . .]
Lt. Watada shared the following with me at our dinner, "I'm trying to send out to the American people of this country a message that the responsibility of ending this illegal and immoral war lies with the people of this country and holding their leader accountable because if they don't do anything nothing is going to happen."
Bringing it up to date since then, Monday, February 5, 2007, Watada's court-martial began. It continued on Tuesday when the prosecution argued their case. Wednesday the seventh, Watada was to take the stand in his semi-defense.Over defense objection, Judge Toilet ruled a mistrial thus ending the court-martial. As legal experts such as National Lawyers Guild president Marjorie Cohn immediately pointed out, Judge Toilet's ruling over defense objection meant that the Constitutional provision against double-jeopardy should prevent another court-martial. Last year, November 8th Judge Benjamin Settle, a US District Court judge, put Head's planned court-martial on hold where it currently remains. Watada's service contract ended in December 2006. He continues to report for assignments on base. The military should have released him long ago. He has now been extended over a year just to court-martial him. Only in a demented mind does the continued extension make sense.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
We'll come back to IVAW later in the snapshot. Over the weekend, Iraq sometimes made the news. On Saturday, the New York Times managed to 'cover' the ongoing illegal war by ignoring it. The same morning, CNN reported:, "Two U.S. soldiers who died last month in Iraq were apparently shot to death by an Iraqi soldier during a combined U.S. and Iraqi Army operation, the U.S. military said." The two killed were Rowdy Inman and Benjamin Portell and we'll come back to Inman in a moment. Sunday, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) covered the topic quoting that the US military's December statement that "small arms fire during dismounted combat operations" despite the fact that the suspect "tried to flee, but he was apprehended after being identified by other Iraqi soldiers" which tells you that even when the release was put out on the December 26th deaths, it was known what had happened. On Saturday, the US military released another statement -- repeating ON SATURDAY -- and it noted, "Two US Soldiers killed during a combined Iraqi Army and CF operation in Ninewah province on Dec. 26, were allegedly shot by an Iraqi Soldier. For reasons that are as yet unknown, at least one Iraqi Army Soldier allegedly opened fire killing Capt. Rowdy Inman and Sgt. Benjamin Portell, both of whom were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment." That statement was released on Saturday.
Why stress Saturday repeatedly? Though the Times didn't tell you, Friday was rather significant: the memorial for Rowdy Inman. Amanda Kim Stairrett (Killeen Daily Herald) reports on the service at the Harper-Talasek Funeral Home in Killen, Texas attended by his widow Shannon and their children Casey, Gary and Keeley, his parents Ann Denny and Tony Inman "and numerous friends and relatives . . . who filled the standing-room-only funeral home." It was 'nice' of the military brass to play clean up the day after the memorial service -- on an incident they knew about from the start. Oh, they knew, the family knew. Really? Based on what? Louis Median (The Bakersfield California) reports, "The friends and family of Sgt. Benjamin B. Portell learned the shocking details of the decorated soldier's death only hours after his moving funeral. His family received word late Friday night about an Iraqi soldier's betrayal of Portell's patrol, according to the Rev. Brian Murphy, executive pastor of RiverLakes Community Church where Portell worshipped." His widow Michelle, his parents Susan and Matt Portell found out after Friday's funeral service. After.
On December 26th, the US military knew how Inman and Portell had died. Parents, surviving spouses and other loved ones have been repeatedly lied to by the US military and every time supposedly it won't happen again. It keeps happening. The realities they learned after the services should have been passed on to them before. This is really basic, on the 26th both men are shot dead. The US military has a suspect in custody. At the earliest, the families learn what happened on the evening or night of Friday, January 4th, after the services for both men have taken place.
Over the weekend, at least 18 corpses were discovered in Baghdad alone. The US military announced in a Saturday military press release: "A Multi-National Division – North Soldier died from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device detonation near his vehicle while conducting operations in Diyala Province, Jan. 5." On Sunday [PDF format warning], they announced, "A Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldier was killed and three others wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in southern Baghdad on Jan. 6." Among the non-stop violence reported was the Sunday Baghdad assassination of Sheik Ismael Abass who wanted to start an 'Awakening' Council and Solomon Moore and Mudhafer al-Husaini (New York Times) reported today on the Sunday Baquba assassination of Sheik Dhari Mandeel -- 'Awakening' Council leader in the region (the attack also resulted in his wife's death and the kidnapping of 10 people). Also on Sunday, Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reported a Baghdad bombing in which a bomber killed his or herself outside the Iraqi Unity Association and also killed 3 Iraqi soldiers and 1 civilian. That one bombing (there were many others) received more attention from the media than any of the other many incidents of violence taking place over the weekend. And Hussein Kadhim reported many other incidents of violence. Very few others can make that claim. They can claim, unlike Kadhim, to have echoed and rewritten the US military press release (including the stressing of 'heorics'). Providing some common sense, Amit R. Paley (Washington Post) pointed out that various figures have been given for the death toll of Iraqis from the Baghdad bombing Sunday (as little as three people, as many as nine) and he also noted Sunday's bombings of Christian structures in Mosul: "Two churches, a convent and an orphanage were damaged, the officials said, but no one was injured, in large part because so many Christians have fled the city after repeated threats against them since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion." Jamie Gumbrecht and Hussein Khadim (McClatchy Newspapers) inform that "five people from one family were injured" in the Mosul bombings.
On Saturday, Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) noted life for US civilians working in the Green Zone and observed, "Inside the Green Zone, fear replaced enthusiasm as mortar shells rained from the sky during 2006 and 2007, and many hours were spent inside concrete bunkers. Over the past several months, the attacks have largely stopped, except for a burst of two dozen shells on Thanksgiving, but the walls grew higher and civilian trips outside the wire became infrequent." Well get in there money grubbers! DeYoung notes that the money grubbers opened "no fewer than six bars, a disco, a cafe, two Chinese restaurants and an outdoor shopping arcade." All 'necessary' projects -- life changing ones -- to be sure. On Saturday, puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki returned to Iraq from England. An Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers (Inside Iraq) noted of the return, "but the strange thing is to have blocked streets having some people raising the prime minister's pictures in hands and shouting for his long live welcoming his coming back home to show off the people's love of their beloved prime minister while the real Iraqi people were in some other blocked streets which are blocked for security reasons as they heard or to have celebrated people of the coming of their prime minister. The people in the blocked streets were upset to make them stuck without reaching their destination for no reasonable purpose, but for showing off a celebration or having the prime minister in Iraq. This thing reminds us of the former regime during Saddam's reign when that regime used to have demonstrations and celebrations of such kinds forcing people to be in streets to make the world see them trying to convince them that the government is from the people and for them. I think the Iraqi people are smart enough to know who made this small demonstration and for what reason. Also the Iraqi people fed up with celebrations and speeches having one thing to be achieved which is Iraq for Iraqis no more." Solomon Moore and Mudhafer al-Husaini (New York Times) noted that "exhaustion" is the official explanation for al-Maliki's sudden departure from Baghdad weeks ago and, presumably, the puppet got himself some rest.
On Sunday, news broke of another arrest for a US military member who self-checked out. Amie McLain (NBC2) reported on the Friday arrest of Yesenia Marengo-Angelino who was the second army soldier to be arrested in the Southwest Florida region in two months (Matthew Fewox preceded her). As McLain observed, "According to the Army, soldiers are deserting their posts at the highest rate since 1980." (Text and video at the link.) No word is reported on how either was arrested -- traffic stop, military 'tip,' what?
Violence continued today . . .
Bombings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad bombing that wounded one person when the bomb went off in "his car" with another person wounded the same way in a Baghdad bombing outside the Saj al Reef restaurant and another similar bombing in Baghdad that claimed 1 life and left three more wounded; a Baghdad bombing outside the Technology University claimed 3 lives and left sixteen people wounded; two Baghdad bombings that left one person wounded; a Baghdad bombing that left three people wounded; a Baquba mortar attack that wounded one police officer "and a member of Sahwa"; and a person exploded themselves and took the lives of 14 others (eighteen more were wounded) "near the information department inside the Sunni endowment" in Baghdad -- among the dead was "the leader of the Sahwa council Reyadh Al Samarra'i". Sabah al-Bazee (Reuters) reports a fire "at Iraq's largest" oil "refinery on Monday" in Baiji and "[a] Reuters cameraman at the complex said he saw at least one dead body" while local police say they are aware of three deaths and an engineer tells Reuters at least four people are dead.
Kidnappings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports "at least eigh members of Sahwa council" were kidnapped in Baghdad while 8 people kidnapped in Kut over a month ago were released.
Shootings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports one person shot dead in Buhorz village today (and "a husband and his wife and an Iraqi army soldier" shot dead last night outside of Kirkuk). Reuters notes "a member of a neighbourhood patrol" shot dead in his carpentry shop in Samarra, a couple and their child were all shot dead outside Hawija and "a neighbourhood patrol volunteer" was shot dead in Latifiya.
Corpses?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 7 corpses discovered in Baghdad, five in Qara Kitta. Reuters notes 2 corpses discovered in Mosul.
Turning to war crimes, Frida Berrigan (In These Times) reviews some of the best known War Crimes of the Iraq War and notes that a few rank and file have been convicted (many haven't even been charged, as Berrigan points out) but no one high in rank has suffered serious punishment. Berringan points out that the Center for Constitutional Rights is pursuing war crimes on the part "of high-ranking U.S. officials" and that, "In March 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will convene new Winter Soldier hearings, modeled on the February 1971 meetings in a Detroit Howard Johnson's. In the shadow of the My Lai massacre revelations, the hearings provided a platform to more than 125 Vietnam veterans to describe the atrocities they participated in and witnessed. This effort could once again give the United States a chance to listen to soldiers and Marines as they break the silence, hold themselves and each other accountable and demand the same from the architects of the war."
IVAW also attempted to be in New Hampshire for the debates over the weekend. Carol Coakley (Gather) explains, "A contingent of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), and Mass. Peace Action activists from the Boston area went by bus and car to Manchester to drive home the peace message to the candidates. An Edwards/peace supporting friend and my Kucinich/peace-supporting self drove up to join them. After stopping by downtown Manchester and an Edwards rally on Elm St. and waving at the Kucinich bus that drove by, we headed up to St. Anselms College. Approaching the College was a little like driving into Vegas at night. The campus was buzzing with lights, people, and the media. As you drove up the hill towards the 400 acre campus signs directed you to parking for ticket-bearing-audience members, the press, and demonstrators. The American Friends Service Committee, and various campaign supporters lined the snowy sidewalks and embankments. Unbenounced to demonstrators with banners or signs over a certain size, they were not allowed on campus, so many AFSC and IVAW members stayed on the public road near the entrance." The debates? Glenn Thrush (Newsday) observes Iraq is back in the race for the White House following the debates with Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama being the main ones. Thrush notes Bambi hid behind his campaign as usual while Hillary made her own comments publicly (not whispered to reporters), "You [Obama] gave a speech, and a very good speech, against the war in Iraq and . . . then you voted to [fund the war] you were against."
On the Democratic debate in New Hampshire, Katha Pollitt (And Another Thing, The Nation) probably sums it up better than any noting of the Democratic candidates, "But what really got them excited were the vague competing mantras of 'change' and 'experience.' Obama says he stands for change. Edwards, siding with Obama against Clinton for some strategic reason too subtle for me to understand, says he stands for change too. Hillary Clinton, who casts herself as the candidate of experience but actually uttered the word 'change' more often than the other candidates." Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted, "One of the most heated moments of the debate came when Senator John Edwards teamed up with Senator Barack Obama and accused Senator Hillary Clinton of representing the status quo." Ava and I (The Third Estate Sunday Review) found it interesting to see who, with Dennis Kucinich excluded, would go for the role of clown -- answer: Barack Obama and Bill Richardson. Obama bombed but "Richardson provided one laugh-getter after another including, 'Well, I've been in hostage negotiations that are a lot more civil than this.' Possibly too much time has been spent with the lie that you learn everything you need to know in kindergarten? Certainly high school teaches its own lessons such as this one: The class clown rarely becomes the class president." Pollitt offers, "Hillary Clinton was fiery and funny and bore no resemblance to the candidate relentless attacked in the media as rigid, incompetent, Machiavellian and screccy. You can understand her obvious frustration with the ongoing lovefest for Obama: At one point she even compared his 'likeability' to that of George W. Bush. In real life, Obama has made the same sort of compromises she herself has made. As she pointed out, he said he'd vote against the Patriot Act, and then he voted for it. He cast himself as the candidate who'd repair our bellicose relations with the world, and then talks about bombing Pakistan. He talks about putting Republicans in his cabinet, as Bill Clinton did." On the never ending lovefest for Bambi, Ralph Nader (at Common Dreams) examines the love-fest through the use of fiction [Nader has endorsed John Edwards for the Democratic primary] and demonstrates the hollow center of the Easter candy allowing "Obama" to snap at one point to a citizen calling for accountability, "You don't understand (testily), impeachment talk is just more of the same old Washington politics. I stand for change. No need to point fingers. We are one people." Meanwhile Missy Comley Beattie (at CounterPunch) attempts to make sense of the nonsense and notes Sy Hersh's laughable claim that the US' "only hope" for "a reconcislaition between the Muslim countries and the US" is Obama; concludes Comley Beattie, "It matters little to me that Barack Obama says he was against invading Iraq. After all, he votes to continue funding it. If this presidential candidate wanted to mend relations with Muslims, he could start by voting against additional war funding. And he could say no to AIPCAC -- but this would be political suicide." Of the GOP candidates, Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) explained today, "In other campaign news, Republican Senator John McCain admitted he would be fine if the United States military stayed in Iraq for a hundred years. McCain said 'We've been in Japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea 50 years or so. . . As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. That's fine with me'." Vote Insane! Vote John McCain! In other news, Goodman noted that speculation continues that NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg will declare he is running for president as an independent candidate. Friday, PBS' Bill Moyers Journal offered interviews with a GOP candidate for president and a Democratic one: Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich. On the latter, as Ava and I noted, it's over and citing his 2004 endorsement of John Edwards in Iowa (as he did to Moyers) should only remind people that not only did he ignore the candidate most like him in 2008 (which would be Edwards) but in 2004 he ignored Howard Dean. It's a pattern. Also on PBS (beginning Friday), NOW with David Branccacio examined voter ID laws and mudslinging. If you missed either broadcast, both Moyers and Branccacio stream video online, in addition Branccacio offers text excerpts while Moyers offers full transcripts and an audio only option (like Democracy Now!, Bill Moyers Journal is watch, listen or read). Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman offered the voices of three students working to get their candidates (Kucinich, Obama and Clinton) elected. Lastly on US politics, next Sunday, January 13th, in the Green Party presidential debate in San Francisco (moderated by Cindy Sheehan) with Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, Jard Bell and Ralph Nader to participate. The Green Party notes, "The first, and only, live debate between candidates on the Green Party's California ballot for President of the United States - featuring a former Democratic Party member of Congress, consumer protection icon, professor and environmental engineer - is scheduled here January 13, said John Morton of the Green Party Presidential Debate Committee." The debate starts at two p.m., Herbst Theater in the Veterans Memorial Building on 401 Van Ness Avenue.
the common ills
like maria said paz
kats korner
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
the daily jot
cedrics big mix
mikey likes it
thomas friedman is a great man
the third estate sunday review
iraq
ehren watada
marjorie cohn
the national lawyers guild
iraq veterans against the war
mcclatchy newspapers
amy goodmandemocracy now
bill moyersbill moyers journalpbs
now with david branccacio
missy comley beattie
katha pollitt
the new york times
solomon moore
the washington post
amit r. paley
karen deyoung
Newsday
If the Obama groupies haven't yet scared you, note this groupie on Democracy Now! today:
AMY GOODMAN: What most appeals to you about him? Are there positions he has taken that you deeply care about?
MELODY CHAN: Yeah. For example, I mean, I would say that my values and my ideas just align so closely with what he has to say, and I particularly like, you know, his approach, I'd say, to foreign policy, which is, you know, one of talking to everyone at the table and not just--you know, it's a very different approach probably than the one we’ve seen in the last four, eight years.
Hey! I'm like an airhead and like an idiot and I like love Obama! I'm like politically correct Drunk Girl from Saturday Night Live! Yea! He like talks and stuff. Like talking it like way important to like me. Yea!
What a dumb ass. Really, stop it, you embarass all of us who are thinking students.
It's not just the young groupies, it's the professional ones too. Take Gilligan who pens "An Obama Victory Would Symbolise a Great Deal and Change Very Little" (no link to trash) and the title makes you think Gilligan's going to be balanced. He wasn't. He's whoring himself out for Obama. Hope he made a few bucks for the campaign.
Gilligan writes for the Guardian AND The Nation. So let's check out what Obama's girlfriends at The Nation have to moan today. The Two Aris massage one another's prostate and ooh and aaah as they dream of fondling Bambi. Meanwhile The Dick Jon Wiener reveals his woman problem by contributing "Hillary's Man Problem." Three girlfriends hoping in search of a fourth to round out their Sex in the City tipsy-tipsy act. They'd go with Katrina vanden Heuvel, but she's too manly for the girls. Maybe they can invite The Pooper to their party? Meanwhile, let's not pretend The Three Sexist Pigs aren't huffing and puffing to blow Hillary's house down because she's a woman.
When I get time, I'll probably start thinning my permalinks. No offense to Rebecca, but Robert Parry will be among the ones ditched. I don't care for people who say, "She shouldn't have had orange juice!" while Bambi's got his own sippy cup out. I have no idea what Parry's problem with Hillary is but the fact that he's taken in by Bambi means he's not as smart as I thought he was. The fact that he has a double standard (calling Hillary out for her vote on the Iran resolution last year while praising Bambi who skipped the vote) means he's not someone on my go-to list now.
Let's talk The Third Estate Sunday Review where we keep it real:
Truest statement of the week -- This is Hillary Clinton. I was surprised as well. I'd missed the debate (Dad tivoed). Ava and C.I. watched it because they were including it in their TV commentary. Ava mentioned Hillary's statement -- not as a truest -- and Jim, Cedric, Ty and I all go, "That's it!"
Truest statement of the week II -- Kat got the other one. :D That's funny. If you know how Kat's phrase ended up in a candidate's campaign, you get why it's funny. If you don't, too bad.
A Note to Our Readers -- Jim breaks down the edition. And notes that Wally & Cedric's posts got posted as a special Iowa bonus. This edition really was about Iowa because so few will call it out and want to act like it's normal and acceptable that Iowa gets to use their puny pool of voters from their puny, overly-White (93% White) voters to determine who is the 'winner' for the nation.
Editorial: 2008 already doesn't look good -- I like this one. Dona suggested it. We had no idea what we were going to cover in the editorial. Jim wanted Iowa in it somehow due to the theme but no one wanted another word about Iowa. So Dona figured out how to make it a grab bag. It's really good.
TV: The Dead and Missing Persons -- Ava and C.I. are amazing. Damn, they're amazing. Ava told me it was "exhuasting" to write this. And I started thinking about that and how she and C.I. are speaking every week about the illegal war and all the stuff they both do. I can't wait until the writers' strike is over so they can go back to covering entertainment TV and not have to work so hard. Jim said, "They are the strongest, there's really no arguing it." And that's really true. That's within the community and outside. This is amazing.
Roundtable -- 2 things stand out most here. C.I. doesn't like Kucinich. I had no idea. That's cool with me. I didn't know if C.I. was for Kucinich or not but assumed C.I. liked Kucinich. Rebecca reveals the truth in this. And it's fine because Kucinich's campaign is over (he just doesn't seem to get that it is). But while it was still alive, think about how many times C.I. never said a word and kept noting Kucinich. The media is supposed to be objective. C.I. actually was.
2nd thing is this is already being called the "sex roundtable." Jim's working the e-mails for Third this week (working solo) and he says it's the "sex roundtable" in e-mail after e-mail (read C.I.'s comments, Kat's comments and Rebecca's because they are the most noted in e-mails according to Jim). But Jim did say that people are saying, "I never knew that about __" some war resister. So it served the purpose.
Roundtable on the media -- This focuses on the non-stop free pass that Obama always gets from the media. I love this roundtable. We weren't planning on two. But they're really strong, both roundtables, and different enough.
Wack job of the week -- I love this feature. And it was Elaine's idea.
2007 Archives -- This provides the archives for 2007, week by week, so that you can find them easily.
Theft of the week -- Koo Koo needed a topic so she borrowed it from Deliah Boyd.
When the circus leaves town -- This is a repost of Wally & Cedric's take on Iowa after the national press leaves. It is hilarious. C.I. thought it had been noted somewhere and realized it hadn't. So it was done Sunday night. It fits with the Iowa theme too.
Highlights -- Kat, Elaine, Betty, Rebecca, Wally, Cedric and I wrote this. We missed Wally and Cedric's Saturday post. Otherwise, I think we did a pretty good job.
Dallas helped and here's who else worked on the edition:
The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and Jim,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz
,and Wally of The Daily Jot
Okay, here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Monday, January 7, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths over the weekend and also 'clarifies' deaths in December, Democratic presidential candidates rediscover the illegal war, and more.
Starting with war resistance. Urar reposts the Freedom Socialist Party's 2008 outline and summary which notes, But, as we enter the eighth year of the new millennium, opportunities exist to fight back and to make real change! To borrow from the Asian Zodiac, the coming Year of the Rat will be a time of hard work and constant activity." FSP applies that to the ability to "build on our victories in 2007 some of them tangible, some of them gains in consciousness" and notes, "Lt. Ehren Watada is a bright voice among GI resisters and their families who are telling the military that it's immoral and illegal to fight in Iraq." This time last year, Lance Holter's essay on Watada was published at Peace Corps Online:
I learned about the courage of conviction last week when I meat (as a guest during a family dinner in Honolulu) with a courageous young American patriot. A leader who lives by example. An individual, who out of a decision of moral conscience, refuses to participate in a war that he believes (after much personal research) violates the U.S. Constitution, Geneva accords, Nuremberg principals, and the United Nations Charter.
First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, a 28 year old U.S. Army artillery officer from Hawaii, has become the first active duty military officer publicly to oppose the war in Iraq. As a result of his act of conscience and challenging what we now know about the war in Iraq, Lt. Watada is facing military court martial at Ft. Lewis Washington this February 5, 2007.
[. . .]
Lt. Watada shared the following with me at our dinner, "I'm trying to send out to the American people of this country a message that the responsibility of ending this illegal and immoral war lies with the people of this country and holding their leader accountable because if they don't do anything nothing is going to happen."
Bringing it up to date since then, Monday, February 5, 2007, Watada's court-martial began. It continued on Tuesday when the prosecution argued their case. Wednesday the seventh, Watada was to take the stand in his semi-defense.Over defense objection, Judge Toilet ruled a mistrial thus ending the court-martial. As legal experts such as National Lawyers Guild president Marjorie Cohn immediately pointed out, Judge Toilet's ruling over defense objection meant that the Constitutional provision against double-jeopardy should prevent another court-martial. Last year, November 8th Judge Benjamin Settle, a US District Court judge, put Head's planned court-martial on hold where it currently remains. Watada's service contract ended in December 2006. He continues to report for assignments on base. The military should have released him long ago. He has now been extended over a year just to court-martial him. Only in a demented mind does the continued extension make sense.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
We'll come back to IVAW later in the snapshot. Over the weekend, Iraq sometimes made the news. On Saturday, the New York Times managed to 'cover' the ongoing illegal war by ignoring it. The same morning, CNN reported:, "Two U.S. soldiers who died last month in Iraq were apparently shot to death by an Iraqi soldier during a combined U.S. and Iraqi Army operation, the U.S. military said." The two killed were Rowdy Inman and Benjamin Portell and we'll come back to Inman in a moment. Sunday, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) covered the topic quoting that the US military's December statement that "small arms fire during dismounted combat operations" despite the fact that the suspect "tried to flee, but he was apprehended after being identified by other Iraqi soldiers" which tells you that even when the release was put out on the December 26th deaths, it was known what had happened. On Saturday, the US military released another statement -- repeating ON SATURDAY -- and it noted, "Two US Soldiers killed during a combined Iraqi Army and CF operation in Ninewah province on Dec. 26, were allegedly shot by an Iraqi Soldier. For reasons that are as yet unknown, at least one Iraqi Army Soldier allegedly opened fire killing Capt. Rowdy Inman and Sgt. Benjamin Portell, both of whom were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment." That statement was released on Saturday.
Why stress Saturday repeatedly? Though the Times didn't tell you, Friday was rather significant: the memorial for Rowdy Inman. Amanda Kim Stairrett (Killeen Daily Herald) reports on the service at the Harper-Talasek Funeral Home in Killen, Texas attended by his widow Shannon and their children Casey, Gary and Keeley, his parents Ann Denny and Tony Inman "and numerous friends and relatives . . . who filled the standing-room-only funeral home." It was 'nice' of the military brass to play clean up the day after the memorial service -- on an incident they knew about from the start. Oh, they knew, the family knew. Really? Based on what? Louis Median (The Bakersfield California) reports, "The friends and family of Sgt. Benjamin B. Portell learned the shocking details of the decorated soldier's death only hours after his moving funeral. His family received word late Friday night about an Iraqi soldier's betrayal of Portell's patrol, according to the Rev. Brian Murphy, executive pastor of RiverLakes Community Church where Portell worshipped." His widow Michelle, his parents Susan and Matt Portell found out after Friday's funeral service. After.
On December 26th, the US military knew how Inman and Portell had died. Parents, surviving spouses and other loved ones have been repeatedly lied to by the US military and every time supposedly it won't happen again. It keeps happening. The realities they learned after the services should have been passed on to them before. This is really basic, on the 26th both men are shot dead. The US military has a suspect in custody. At the earliest, the families learn what happened on the evening or night of Friday, January 4th, after the services for both men have taken place.
Over the weekend, at least 18 corpses were discovered in Baghdad alone. The US military announced in a Saturday military press release: "A Multi-National Division – North Soldier died from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device detonation near his vehicle while conducting operations in Diyala Province, Jan. 5." On Sunday [PDF format warning], they announced, "A Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldier was killed and three others wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in southern Baghdad on Jan. 6." Among the non-stop violence reported was the Sunday Baghdad assassination of Sheik Ismael Abass who wanted to start an 'Awakening' Council and Solomon Moore and Mudhafer al-Husaini (New York Times) reported today on the Sunday Baquba assassination of Sheik Dhari Mandeel -- 'Awakening' Council leader in the region (the attack also resulted in his wife's death and the kidnapping of 10 people). Also on Sunday, Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reported a Baghdad bombing in which a bomber killed his or herself outside the Iraqi Unity Association and also killed 3 Iraqi soldiers and 1 civilian. That one bombing (there were many others) received more attention from the media than any of the other many incidents of violence taking place over the weekend. And Hussein Kadhim reported many other incidents of violence. Very few others can make that claim. They can claim, unlike Kadhim, to have echoed and rewritten the US military press release (including the stressing of 'heorics'). Providing some common sense, Amit R. Paley (Washington Post) pointed out that various figures have been given for the death toll of Iraqis from the Baghdad bombing Sunday (as little as three people, as many as nine) and he also noted Sunday's bombings of Christian structures in Mosul: "Two churches, a convent and an orphanage were damaged, the officials said, but no one was injured, in large part because so many Christians have fled the city after repeated threats against them since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion." Jamie Gumbrecht and Hussein Khadim (McClatchy Newspapers) inform that "five people from one family were injured" in the Mosul bombings.
On Saturday, Karen DeYoung (Washington Post) noted life for US civilians working in the Green Zone and observed, "Inside the Green Zone, fear replaced enthusiasm as mortar shells rained from the sky during 2006 and 2007, and many hours were spent inside concrete bunkers. Over the past several months, the attacks have largely stopped, except for a burst of two dozen shells on Thanksgiving, but the walls grew higher and civilian trips outside the wire became infrequent." Well get in there money grubbers! DeYoung notes that the money grubbers opened "no fewer than six bars, a disco, a cafe, two Chinese restaurants and an outdoor shopping arcade." All 'necessary' projects -- life changing ones -- to be sure. On Saturday, puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki returned to Iraq from England. An Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers (Inside Iraq) noted of the return, "but the strange thing is to have blocked streets having some people raising the prime minister's pictures in hands and shouting for his long live welcoming his coming back home to show off the people's love of their beloved prime minister while the real Iraqi people were in some other blocked streets which are blocked for security reasons as they heard or to have celebrated people of the coming of their prime minister. The people in the blocked streets were upset to make them stuck without reaching their destination for no reasonable purpose, but for showing off a celebration or having the prime minister in Iraq. This thing reminds us of the former regime during Saddam's reign when that regime used to have demonstrations and celebrations of such kinds forcing people to be in streets to make the world see them trying to convince them that the government is from the people and for them. I think the Iraqi people are smart enough to know who made this small demonstration and for what reason. Also the Iraqi people fed up with celebrations and speeches having one thing to be achieved which is Iraq for Iraqis no more." Solomon Moore and Mudhafer al-Husaini (New York Times) noted that "exhaustion" is the official explanation for al-Maliki's sudden departure from Baghdad weeks ago and, presumably, the puppet got himself some rest.
On Sunday, news broke of another arrest for a US military member who self-checked out. Amie McLain (NBC2) reported on the Friday arrest of Yesenia Marengo-Angelino who was the second army soldier to be arrested in the Southwest Florida region in two months (Matthew Fewox preceded her). As McLain observed, "According to the Army, soldiers are deserting their posts at the highest rate since 1980." (Text and video at the link.) No word is reported on how either was arrested -- traffic stop, military 'tip,' what?
Violence continued today . . .
Bombings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad bombing that wounded one person when the bomb went off in "his car" with another person wounded the same way in a Baghdad bombing outside the Saj al Reef restaurant and another similar bombing in Baghdad that claimed 1 life and left three more wounded; a Baghdad bombing outside the Technology University claimed 3 lives and left sixteen people wounded; two Baghdad bombings that left one person wounded; a Baghdad bombing that left three people wounded; a Baquba mortar attack that wounded one police officer "and a member of Sahwa"; and a person exploded themselves and took the lives of 14 others (eighteen more were wounded) "near the information department inside the Sunni endowment" in Baghdad -- among the dead was "the leader of the Sahwa council Reyadh Al Samarra'i". Sabah al-Bazee (Reuters) reports a fire "at Iraq's largest" oil "refinery on Monday" in Baiji and "[a] Reuters cameraman at the complex said he saw at least one dead body" while local police say they are aware of three deaths and an engineer tells Reuters at least four people are dead.
Kidnappings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports "at least eigh members of Sahwa council" were kidnapped in Baghdad while 8 people kidnapped in Kut over a month ago were released.
Shootings?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports one person shot dead in Buhorz village today (and "a husband and his wife and an Iraqi army soldier" shot dead last night outside of Kirkuk). Reuters notes "a member of a neighbourhood patrol" shot dead in his carpentry shop in Samarra, a couple and their child were all shot dead outside Hawija and "a neighbourhood patrol volunteer" was shot dead in Latifiya.
Corpses?
Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 7 corpses discovered in Baghdad, five in Qara Kitta. Reuters notes 2 corpses discovered in Mosul.
Turning to war crimes, Frida Berrigan (In These Times) reviews some of the best known War Crimes of the Iraq War and notes that a few rank and file have been convicted (many haven't even been charged, as Berrigan points out) but no one high in rank has suffered serious punishment. Berringan points out that the Center for Constitutional Rights is pursuing war crimes on the part "of high-ranking U.S. officials" and that, "In March 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will convene new Winter Soldier hearings, modeled on the February 1971 meetings in a Detroit Howard Johnson's. In the shadow of the My Lai massacre revelations, the hearings provided a platform to more than 125 Vietnam veterans to describe the atrocities they participated in and witnessed. This effort could once again give the United States a chance to listen to soldiers and Marines as they break the silence, hold themselves and each other accountable and demand the same from the architects of the war."
IVAW also attempted to be in New Hampshire for the debates over the weekend. Carol Coakley (Gather) explains, "A contingent of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), and Mass. Peace Action activists from the Boston area went by bus and car to Manchester to drive home the peace message to the candidates. An Edwards/peace supporting friend and my Kucinich/peace-supporting self drove up to join them. After stopping by downtown Manchester and an Edwards rally on Elm St. and waving at the Kucinich bus that drove by, we headed up to St. Anselms College. Approaching the College was a little like driving into Vegas at night. The campus was buzzing with lights, people, and the media. As you drove up the hill towards the 400 acre campus signs directed you to parking for ticket-bearing-audience members, the press, and demonstrators. The American Friends Service Committee, and various campaign supporters lined the snowy sidewalks and embankments. Unbenounced to demonstrators with banners or signs over a certain size, they were not allowed on campus, so many AFSC and IVAW members stayed on the public road near the entrance." The debates? Glenn Thrush (Newsday) observes Iraq is back in the race for the White House following the debates with Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama being the main ones. Thrush notes Bambi hid behind his campaign as usual while Hillary made her own comments publicly (not whispered to reporters), "You [Obama] gave a speech, and a very good speech, against the war in Iraq and . . . then you voted to [fund the war] you were against."
On the Democratic debate in New Hampshire, Katha Pollitt (And Another Thing, The Nation) probably sums it up better than any noting of the Democratic candidates, "But what really got them excited were the vague competing mantras of 'change' and 'experience.' Obama says he stands for change. Edwards, siding with Obama against Clinton for some strategic reason too subtle for me to understand, says he stands for change too. Hillary Clinton, who casts herself as the candidate of experience but actually uttered the word 'change' more often than the other candidates." Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted, "One of the most heated moments of the debate came when Senator John Edwards teamed up with Senator Barack Obama and accused Senator Hillary Clinton of representing the status quo." Ava and I (The Third Estate Sunday Review) found it interesting to see who, with Dennis Kucinich excluded, would go for the role of clown -- answer: Barack Obama and Bill Richardson. Obama bombed but "Richardson provided one laugh-getter after another including, 'Well, I've been in hostage negotiations that are a lot more civil than this.' Possibly too much time has been spent with the lie that you learn everything you need to know in kindergarten? Certainly high school teaches its own lessons such as this one: The class clown rarely becomes the class president." Pollitt offers, "Hillary Clinton was fiery and funny and bore no resemblance to the candidate relentless attacked in the media as rigid, incompetent, Machiavellian and screccy. You can understand her obvious frustration with the ongoing lovefest for Obama: At one point she even compared his 'likeability' to that of George W. Bush. In real life, Obama has made the same sort of compromises she herself has made. As she pointed out, he said he'd vote against the Patriot Act, and then he voted for it. He cast himself as the candidate who'd repair our bellicose relations with the world, and then talks about bombing Pakistan. He talks about putting Republicans in his cabinet, as Bill Clinton did." On the never ending lovefest for Bambi, Ralph Nader (at Common Dreams) examines the love-fest through the use of fiction [Nader has endorsed John Edwards for the Democratic primary] and demonstrates the hollow center of the Easter candy allowing "Obama" to snap at one point to a citizen calling for accountability, "You don't understand (testily), impeachment talk is just more of the same old Washington politics. I stand for change. No need to point fingers. We are one people." Meanwhile Missy Comley Beattie (at CounterPunch) attempts to make sense of the nonsense and notes Sy Hersh's laughable claim that the US' "only hope" for "a reconcislaition between the Muslim countries and the US" is Obama; concludes Comley Beattie, "It matters little to me that Barack Obama says he was against invading Iraq. After all, he votes to continue funding it. If this presidential candidate wanted to mend relations with Muslims, he could start by voting against additional war funding. And he could say no to AIPCAC -- but this would be political suicide." Of the GOP candidates, Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) explained today, "In other campaign news, Republican Senator John McCain admitted he would be fine if the United States military stayed in Iraq for a hundred years. McCain said 'We've been in Japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea 50 years or so. . . As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. That's fine with me'." Vote Insane! Vote John McCain! In other news, Goodman noted that speculation continues that NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg will declare he is running for president as an independent candidate. Friday, PBS' Bill Moyers Journal offered interviews with a GOP candidate for president and a Democratic one: Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich. On the latter, as Ava and I noted, it's over and citing his 2004 endorsement of John Edwards in Iowa (as he did to Moyers) should only remind people that not only did he ignore the candidate most like him in 2008 (which would be Edwards) but in 2004 he ignored Howard Dean. It's a pattern. Also on PBS (beginning Friday), NOW with David Branccacio examined voter ID laws and mudslinging. If you missed either broadcast, both Moyers and Branccacio stream video online, in addition Branccacio offers text excerpts while Moyers offers full transcripts and an audio only option (like Democracy Now!, Bill Moyers Journal is watch, listen or read). Today on Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman offered the voices of three students working to get their candidates (Kucinich, Obama and Clinton) elected. Lastly on US politics, next Sunday, January 13th, in the Green Party presidential debate in San Francisco (moderated by Cindy Sheehan) with Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, Jard Bell and Ralph Nader to participate. The Green Party notes, "The first, and only, live debate between candidates on the Green Party's California ballot for President of the United States - featuring a former Democratic Party member of Congress, consumer protection icon, professor and environmental engineer - is scheduled here January 13, said John Morton of the Green Party Presidential Debate Committee." The debate starts at two p.m., Herbst Theater in the Veterans Memorial Building on 401 Van Ness Avenue.
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Newsday
Friday, January 04, 2008
Friday thoughts
Friday! At last! :d Little smile because Jim called and he's trying to figure out what to do on Sunday. A part of him thinks C.I.'s point about "it's just 16%" (see snapshot at the end) is correct and we have other things to cover but another part of him thinks we need to hit hard on this topic. So he's just sounding everyone out and we'll figure it out tomorrow night.
I have no idea. I can see the logic in both points. (I also don't know that C.I.'s point is: "Blow it off." Jim doesn't either. I think the point C.I.'s making -- very well -- is "What the hell is this gas baggery! One state, completely different process from others, overwhelming White and with no standards and people are acting like the DNC convention's tomorrow?")
There's this idiot named Colleen at Common Dreams, I can't figure out if she's from Canada or the US but she knows nothing about the US and is wetting her panties over "Black" Obama getting the nod. When she's corrected that he's not "Black," she makes a racist comment and no one seems to notice. She makes all these racist comments throughout like about how African-Americans are in the south, and African-Americans never moved to Iowa (has she been there? What an idiot!) and it's just one thing after another. I'm not linking to the article -- it's The Pooper tearing into Hillary Clinton for no reason except he's always hated women. People are going bat-sh*t over his article and I guess they don't know who The Pooper is -- a middle-aged punk heading into elderly who trashes the left constantly, red-baits and you name it. He's not left but no real lefty is for Obama. Just a lot of idiots like racist Colleen who proves Glen Ford's point about White people wanting Obama to be president so they can pretend like racism went away.
It's also hilarious to read -- and Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez did a LOUSY job today -- because when a poster puts up some reality about Obama's positions or records, the answer is always, "Well, he will change!" Yeah. Keep kidding yourselves, dumb asses. I really can't believe that nonsense on Democracy Now! today. It was so bad. Stuff like that is part of the reason so many idiots are for War Hawk Obama.
Dona wants a roundtable this weekend so I'll save that for then.
Since everyone in the world is making predictions, here's one: Edwards will lose.
How come?
I'm looking at the e-mail that came in from his campaign today and what's he yammering about? Hillary Clinton.
"The Clinton Machine" but how "we" can beat them. Does Edwards think he came in first place? He's refused to challenge Obama even let Obama hand him his lunch in a debate and just stood there with egg on his face.
Until I read that e-mail, I was thinking, "Okay, maybe Edwards can pull it off."
But then he goes and sends out that crap e-mail. He came ahead of Hillary. He didn't pull ahead of Obama. That's his strategy? Is he trying to be vice-president?
If he can start hitting Obama, he's a little whiney boy.
That's it for me. I've talked about Iowa and that's all anyone's talking about. Maybe I offered a different perspective? Who cares, it's one damn state.
If nothing else, it pushed 'Saint' Bhutto off the front pages.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Friday, Janurary 4, 2007. Chaos and violence continue and the little state of Iowa leads to a lot of gas baggery.
World Report notes that January 26th is a day for national demonstrations in Canada in support of war resisters, "The date commemorates the day four years ago when Jeremy Hinzman first applied for refugee status in Canada. The Nelson event, which is planned for the United Church, will be held inside because of the harsh January weather. Ryan Johnson suggests 'some light refreshments and a time to write hand written letters with someone delivering them to the post office afterwards. . . It would be a huge statement to have a box full of letters going to parliament. In Tonronto they are mraching to the Canada Post to drop them in the box'."
What's it about? In Canada where some war resisters went to seek asylum, the Canadian Parliament has the power to let war resisters stay in Canada. November 15th, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the appeals of war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. Parliament is the solution.Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use. Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
Yesterday, three US service members were announced dead by the US military. How did that play out in the media? To note two outlets, Democracy Now! and the New York Times, not very well. DN! covered the four people who died in Turkey in headlines and didn't note the three US service members killed in Iraq. The New York Times noted both on A9 of this morning's paper. Sabrina Tavernise covered "Bomb Explosion Kills 5 in Kurdish Area in Turkey" -- yes, it got it's own story -- and in a 14 paragraph story by Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Khalid al-Ansary, it was noted in paragraph four: "In another development on Thursday, two American soldiers were shot dead and a third soldier was wounded in Diyala Province, the American military said. On Wednesday a soldier was killed by an improvised bomb south of Baghdad, the first death of an American soldier this year." It's not important to US outlets. It doesn't matter. They know nothing about the five killed in Turkey but that's more important to them. It says a great deal.
Meanwhile Donna St. George (Washington Post) reports on Hannah Gunterman McKinney, a woman serving in Iraq who was killed when the man she had sex (apparently consensual but it's sketchy) with ran her over and how her parents, Barbie and Matt Hearvin, were offered a variety of explanations for the September 4, 2006 death, "Her case would become one in a litany of noncombat deaths in Iraq, which number more than 700, from crashes, suicides, illnesses and accidents that sometimes reveal messy truths about life in the war zone. The cases can be especially brutal for parents who lose a child and struggle to understand why. In McKinney's case, many of the details are in a 1,460-page file and court-martial transcript obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act."
Another woman is the subject of Sanhita SinhaRoy's Q & A (In These Times) where she interviews Iraqi Haifa Zangana who favors the US withdrawing from Iraq immediately ("gradual withdrawal is actually a gradual building of bases in Iraq") and notes of the illegal war:
But here we are with troops, with military occupation, with economic occupation and the cultural occupation. They try to erase our memory, our history, our archaeological sites and kill our civilians.
In four and a half years, we have lost 1 million Iraqis. And that's terminated, physically. We're not talking about the consequences of conventional weapons, the depleted uranium, the phosphorous, the cluster bombs.
As for detentions, the International Red Cross has recorded up to 60,000. And those are security detainees.
Zangana is the author of City of Widows: An Iraqi Woman's Account of War and Resistance, (Seven Stories Press). Today KUNA reports that the UK base in southern Iraq (Basra Airport) was attacked with a missile yesterday.
In other news of violence . . .
Bombings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports two Baghdad roadside bombings (no known casualties) and a tanker bombing in Maysan that claimed the lives of 2 police officers with "others" wounded. Reuters notes an attack by a US helicopter which fired a rocket outside Baghdad and killed 1 person with two more wounded.
Shootings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a US attack/raid "with air cover" in Najaf that wounded four (on Thursday). Reuters notes an Iraqi was shot dead in Jurf al-Sakhar.
Corpses?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
Let's do US presidential politics. Shortly before noon yesterday, the Chris Dodd campaign e-mailed supporters asserting, "We've led in Washignton, D.C. on ending the war in Iraq and restoring the Constitution, but tonight all eyes are focused on Iowa . . . You'll hear from me later tonight. And when we earn that ticket to New Hampshire, I hope you are ready to provide the fuel we need to hit the ground running." Iowa was the first shot (as always) for the country to weigh in (at over 90% Anglo-White, Iowa is veeery representative -- that was sarcasm) and the country weighed in yesterday, Iowans, people posing as Iowans, they made their voices heard the in the corrupt scam that gets trotted out every four years as an example of "democracy." Like Dodd, Joe Biden's campaign declared, "Simply put, the Biden for President campaign will shock the world on Januray 3rd." As The Detroit Free Press reported today, both Biden and Dodd have dropped out of the race. Pay attention to Dodd's departure (it matters in a moment). Before we go further, let's quote Iowa's Secretary of State, "Although not an election, the Iowa Caucuses are the method by which citizens select presidential delegates to the county conventions. The political parties run the caucuses according to party rules. The Iowa Caucuses are not governed by the Secretary of State's Office." Translation, don't blame this on them. In December former editor of The Des Moines Register Gilbert Cranberg, former executive secretary of the state's Freedome of Information Council Herb Strentz and former director of research for The Des Moines Register Glenn Roberts contributed a column to the New York Times entitled "Iowa's Undemocratic Caucuses" noted that, unlike the GOP, the Democratic Party operated in secrecy, "The one-person, one-vote results from each caucus are snail-mailed to party headquarters and placed in a database, never disclosed to the press or made available for inspection." Wayne Ford could (and did) lie on Democracy Now! today that the Iowa represented "the purest form of democracy" but there's no reason everyone else had to go along with it. "We've been doing it since the 60s," he insisted. Exactly why Iowa goes first -- because it is non-reflective and undemocratic and the '60s' is when the system changed. By holding onto Iowa as the "kick off," the party machine tries to control. Make no mistek that's what happens every four years and -- as Wally and Cedric have repeatedly noted, even with the Olympics, they rotate it every four years. With those realities in mind, add, as Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted January 28, 2004, John Kerry, in 2004, was "only the third Democrat in three decades to win both Iowa and New Hampshire in contested races." That's a reality not noted in the press today -- the same press that (big or small) announces it's over for either John Edwards or Hillary Clinton but applaud John McCain who tied for third with a TV actor.
Here are the totals the Iowa Democratic Party says are final:
Senator Barack Obama: 37.58%
Senator John Edwards: 29.75%
Senator Hillary Clinton: 29.47%
Governor Bill Richardson: 2.11%
Senator Joe Bide: .93%
Uncommitted: 0.14%
Senator Chris Dodd: 0.02%
Precincts Reporting: 1781 of 1781
Along with multiple rounds of selection, Iowa's caucus allows those present in the location to know how others are voting. It's not a fair ballot, it's not a secret ballot and if the Democratic Party couldn't control it, Iowa would have long ago been ditched (as it should be) as the "kick off" each presidential election.
Robert Parry (Consortium News) offers: "Sen. Barack Obama thrashing Sen. Clinton". Ruth Conniff (The Progressive) is gleeful as well (it's nice to see Conniff offer something, anything, indicating life), "Since she lost in Iowa, it's hard to see what is left." As Conniff offers up razor blades and sleeping pills and our online latter day Dylan throws in the towel (no link, we don't link to trash), one wonders how Hillary is a "loser" and Barack a "sure thing" off one race?
It takes an informed woman and, in this case, it's Deliah Boyd (A Scriverner's Lament) who explains delegates and super delegates and points out the obvious: Michigan has 156 delegates. Matters because? Hillary's on Michigan's ballot. Who's else is? Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Chris Dodd was but he's ended his campaign. Biden, Edwards, Obama and Richardson all sucked up to the DNC and refused to get on the ballot. So the reality is Hillary is close to Bambi and, apparently, has the lock on the 156 delegates in Michigan. (The DNC says they'll refuse to allow Michigan delegates. They may or may not be able to pull off that threat.)
Over at The Nation -- where few ever grasp anything -- Ari Melber demonstrates (by omission) why it matters that readers be informed and not trust The Nation. The mag that called Hillary out on a vote she missed . . . due to Bill having heart surgery, offers Ari's wet dreams of "Why Obama's Win Is Bigger Than You Think" which takes Hillary to task for spending $7 million of her campaign money. How much did Obama spend? Melber's not interested in saying. $9 million. Doesn't fit with the spin Ari wants to blow out his butt so it doesn't make his blog post. He's not really a reporter (real ones don't work for that rag), so let's turn to a real reporter.
Amy Goodman: I think one big difference, Ellen Chesler [cross talk] I think one big difference and I think this has certainly been brought out is that Barack Obama said he was opposed to the illegal war from the beginning and of course Senator Clinton voted for it.
See the problem? Obama tells Monica Davey (New York Times, July 26, 2004) he doesn't know how he would have voted if he'd been in the Senate. Two years later, he's telling David Remnick (The New Yorker) he doesn't know how he would have voted. Why is Amy Goodman not noting that or the fact that, until the summer of 2007, he voted for every authorization? Why is she noting in the segment that Hillary Clinton's campaign offices have been occupied by peace activists but not noting that Barack's have as well? Shouldn't Wayne Ford have been asked about that?
Hillary's a War Hawk. That's who she is and needs to be pointed out. So is Barack Obama. And these attempts to shield the public from reality may be part of what a political party does (or tries to) but it's not reality and has no place in journalism. Ari thinks it's cute to call Hillary out for her millions spent in Iowa while ignoring how much money Obama spent (like he thought it was cute to call her out for missing a vote when Bill was having surgery). Glen Ford and Bruce Dixon (Black Agenda Report) have repeatedly pointed out that Hillary and Barack are siamese twins. So it's not impossible to report the truth. And it's not impossible to give readers, viewers, listeners the information and trust them to make their own decisions.
Ellen Chesler, speaking for Clinton's campaign, needs to get her act together. Stating that Obama wasn't in the Senate isn't telling the full story. Obviously, Goodman isn't going to bring up the illegal war with Barack's supporter Wayne Ford. Rebecca, back when Obama was lying on stage and hitting Edwards with Edwards' 2002 vote, made the point that Obama needed to be challenged on that nonsense. Obviously the press isn't going to do that (maybe Big Media, but not Little), so any supporter needs to drive the reality home. [Note, the transcript at DN! is currently wrong. Amy Goodman, not Ellen Chesler, says, "Well, let me put the question to Danny Glover. Do you think John Edwards has the same position as Obama, as Clinton, on the war?"]
This isn't minor. The war was a question for Chesler and for Danny Glover (speaking for John Edwards' campaign). For Obama? Wayne Ford wasn't asked one word. If you're not seeing the problem, you're lying to yourself. A bit like the lie being spread that "Obama's a closet socialist, hop on board, he's big time left, he just can't say so." He's not and he's not left. Do we want a War Hawk in the White House, as the US moves to the wars to Africa, who can lie to the camera and say, "Oh, my father was from Kenya, this is a just war, don't even ask me that!"
I haven't decided who I will vote for in 2008. We'll note one excerpt from a guest in that roundtable, Danny Glover speaking of John Edwards:
Well, I certainly, when we look at what has happened over the last few years -- and certainly the present administration is indicative of what has happened over the last few years in terms of just corporate greed -- certainly I don't believe that. I think that when people begin to address the issues of globalization, they look at corporate greed. When they begin to identify what is happening in the community, they look at greed, whether it's corporate greed, whether it's the greed that gentrifies the community or the greed that gentrifies a whole nation of people. I think that it's important that we look at the real issue, the real issues around poverty in this country. And [inaudible] poverty, those numbers are thirty-seven million, are indicative of the level of poverty and what people face. We look at the issue around the middle class. We look at the issue around the disparity in wages and the increasing gap between wealth in this country. And those are real issues here, you know? I mean, at some point in time, we're going to have to address that. And I don't think--I think that John Edwards says he spent less than anyone else. He's been--and I believe if it's a two-person race, then that "two-person" is between Obama and Edwards.
If the illegal war matters (I obviously think that it does) then it matters that all the candidates be held to the same standard. Amy Goodman asks Hillary's supporter and John Edwards' supporter about the illegal war. Wayne Ford's not asked a word about. Meanwhile, Reuters lies about Obama's Iraq 'plan' claiming that "all troops out within 16 months" is the 'plan.' It's not. He would leave 'trainers' and other classifications and the "one or two brigades a month" is not firm and he's stated he might increase the number or halt the deployment based on what was happening.
If there's a winner on the Dem side in Iowa, it's Edwards. But we all do grasp that only 16% of the people in Iowa caucused, right? The 'process' is nothing like the rest of the country, it's a tiny state with only 7 electoral college votes. Now tiny New Hampshire (4 electoral college votes) with a 95.8% White population will weigh in. February 5th will better determine who the candidate for the two major parties will be. So why the narratives from the press and why is Little Media unable to hold Obama to the same standards they use to crucify Hillary?
16% of 'Iowans' turned out for their non-secret ballot caucus and it's being used to shape narratives. Left out of the narratives are the backdoor deals Obama made with other candidates. Like the idiot Wayne Ford, they pretend they're talking about something but they're just blowing gas. Ford declared today, "I want to talk about the reasons why Obam womn" but he had nothing to talk about. He didn't have anything to talk about in 2004 when he appeared on the program as a John Edwards supporter: "But I have always said that until we have a president who is going to say that one of the top problems in this country is race, and I'm willing to risk and deal with this problem to bring all Americans together." Blah-blah-blah. And that 'reason' was why he backed Edwards in 2004. He's a gas bag. Iowa means nothing and meant nothing. It's not representative. If there was a need for all the post-coverage it would be to examine where the candidates stood on the issue. In outlet after outlet, Iraq was not addressed because Obama was given yet another pass. Meanwhile, Allan Nairn (at CounterPunch) argues that the 2008 general election was decided long ago.
Two other candidates appear tonight on PBS' Bill Moyers Journal:Thousands of media outlets descended on Iowa, erecting a powerful wall of TV cameras and reporters between the voters and candidates. This week on Bill Moyers Journal in two interviews, Bill Moyers talks with Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, candidates with an inside view of the process who know well the power of the press to set expectations and transform the agenda. Also on the program, leading expert on media and elections Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, examines the campaigns and coverage in Iowa and looks at the media's power to benefit some candidates and disadvantage others.
Added artist and journalist David Bacon has a photo exhibit at the Galeria de la Raza (2857 24th St, San Francisco 94110): "Living under the trees" "Viviendo bajo los arboles." The exhibit is from January 11th through February 23rd (Enero 11 - Febrero 23, 2008). "An exhibition documenting communities of indigenous Mexican farm workers in California through photographs and the narrative experiences of community residents and leaders" y
"Una exposicion que documenta a traves de fotografias y testmonios de lideres y residentes las comundades indigenas de campesinos mexicanos." Inauguracion de exposicion (Opening Reception) Enero 11 7:30 p.m. (January 11th). Y mesa redonda de fotografos (photographers' panel) Sabado, Enero 26, 2:00 p.m. (photographers' panel, Saturday, January 26).
the common ills
mikey likes it
iraq
iraq veterans against the war
mcclatchy newspapers
sanhita sinharoy
amy goodmandemocracy now
david bacon
bill moyersbill moyers journalpbs
the new york timesrichard a. oppel jr.the washington postdonna st. george
robert parry
ruth conniff
I have no idea. I can see the logic in both points. (I also don't know that C.I.'s point is: "Blow it off." Jim doesn't either. I think the point C.I.'s making -- very well -- is "What the hell is this gas baggery! One state, completely different process from others, overwhelming White and with no standards and people are acting like the DNC convention's tomorrow?")
There's this idiot named Colleen at Common Dreams, I can't figure out if she's from Canada or the US but she knows nothing about the US and is wetting her panties over "Black" Obama getting the nod. When she's corrected that he's not "Black," she makes a racist comment and no one seems to notice. She makes all these racist comments throughout like about how African-Americans are in the south, and African-Americans never moved to Iowa (has she been there? What an idiot!) and it's just one thing after another. I'm not linking to the article -- it's The Pooper tearing into Hillary Clinton for no reason except he's always hated women. People are going bat-sh*t over his article and I guess they don't know who The Pooper is -- a middle-aged punk heading into elderly who trashes the left constantly, red-baits and you name it. He's not left but no real lefty is for Obama. Just a lot of idiots like racist Colleen who proves Glen Ford's point about White people wanting Obama to be president so they can pretend like racism went away.
It's also hilarious to read -- and Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez did a LOUSY job today -- because when a poster puts up some reality about Obama's positions or records, the answer is always, "Well, he will change!" Yeah. Keep kidding yourselves, dumb asses. I really can't believe that nonsense on Democracy Now! today. It was so bad. Stuff like that is part of the reason so many idiots are for War Hawk Obama.
Dona wants a roundtable this weekend so I'll save that for then.
Since everyone in the world is making predictions, here's one: Edwards will lose.
How come?
I'm looking at the e-mail that came in from his campaign today and what's he yammering about? Hillary Clinton.
"The Clinton Machine" but how "we" can beat them. Does Edwards think he came in first place? He's refused to challenge Obama even let Obama hand him his lunch in a debate and just stood there with egg on his face.
Until I read that e-mail, I was thinking, "Okay, maybe Edwards can pull it off."
But then he goes and sends out that crap e-mail. He came ahead of Hillary. He didn't pull ahead of Obama. That's his strategy? Is he trying to be vice-president?
If he can start hitting Obama, he's a little whiney boy.
That's it for me. I've talked about Iowa and that's all anyone's talking about. Maybe I offered a different perspective? Who cares, it's one damn state.
If nothing else, it pushed 'Saint' Bhutto off the front pages.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Friday, Janurary 4, 2007. Chaos and violence continue and the little state of Iowa leads to a lot of gas baggery.
World Report notes that January 26th is a day for national demonstrations in Canada in support of war resisters, "The date commemorates the day four years ago when Jeremy Hinzman first applied for refugee status in Canada. The Nelson event, which is planned for the United Church, will be held inside because of the harsh January weather. Ryan Johnson suggests 'some light refreshments and a time to write hand written letters with someone delivering them to the post office afterwards. . . It would be a huge statement to have a box full of letters going to parliament. In Tonronto they are mraching to the Canada Post to drop them in the box'."
What's it about? In Canada where some war resisters went to seek asylum, the Canadian Parliament has the power to let war resisters stay in Canada. November 15th, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the appeals of war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. Parliament is the solution.Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use. Both War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist are calling for actions from January 24-26.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
Yesterday, three US service members were announced dead by the US military. How did that play out in the media? To note two outlets, Democracy Now! and the New York Times, not very well. DN! covered the four people who died in Turkey in headlines and didn't note the three US service members killed in Iraq. The New York Times noted both on A9 of this morning's paper. Sabrina Tavernise covered "Bomb Explosion Kills 5 in Kurdish Area in Turkey" -- yes, it got it's own story -- and in a 14 paragraph story by Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Khalid al-Ansary, it was noted in paragraph four: "In another development on Thursday, two American soldiers were shot dead and a third soldier was wounded in Diyala Province, the American military said. On Wednesday a soldier was killed by an improvised bomb south of Baghdad, the first death of an American soldier this year." It's not important to US outlets. It doesn't matter. They know nothing about the five killed in Turkey but that's more important to them. It says a great deal.
Meanwhile Donna St. George (Washington Post) reports on Hannah Gunterman McKinney, a woman serving in Iraq who was killed when the man she had sex (apparently consensual but it's sketchy) with ran her over and how her parents, Barbie and Matt Hearvin, were offered a variety of explanations for the September 4, 2006 death, "Her case would become one in a litany of noncombat deaths in Iraq, which number more than 700, from crashes, suicides, illnesses and accidents that sometimes reveal messy truths about life in the war zone. The cases can be especially brutal for parents who lose a child and struggle to understand why. In McKinney's case, many of the details are in a 1,460-page file and court-martial transcript obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act."
Another woman is the subject of Sanhita SinhaRoy's Q & A (In These Times) where she interviews Iraqi Haifa Zangana who favors the US withdrawing from Iraq immediately ("gradual withdrawal is actually a gradual building of bases in Iraq") and notes of the illegal war:
But here we are with troops, with military occupation, with economic occupation and the cultural occupation. They try to erase our memory, our history, our archaeological sites and kill our civilians.
In four and a half years, we have lost 1 million Iraqis. And that's terminated, physically. We're not talking about the consequences of conventional weapons, the depleted uranium, the phosphorous, the cluster bombs.
As for detentions, the International Red Cross has recorded up to 60,000. And those are security detainees.
Zangana is the author of City of Widows: An Iraqi Woman's Account of War and Resistance, (Seven Stories Press). Today KUNA reports that the UK base in southern Iraq (Basra Airport) was attacked with a missile yesterday.
In other news of violence . . .
Bombings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports two Baghdad roadside bombings (no known casualties) and a tanker bombing in Maysan that claimed the lives of 2 police officers with "others" wounded. Reuters notes an attack by a US helicopter which fired a rocket outside Baghdad and killed 1 person with two more wounded.
Shootings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a US attack/raid "with air cover" in Najaf that wounded four (on Thursday). Reuters notes an Iraqi was shot dead in Jurf al-Sakhar.
Corpses?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
Let's do US presidential politics. Shortly before noon yesterday, the Chris Dodd campaign e-mailed supporters asserting, "We've led in Washignton, D.C. on ending the war in Iraq and restoring the Constitution, but tonight all eyes are focused on Iowa . . . You'll hear from me later tonight. And when we earn that ticket to New Hampshire, I hope you are ready to provide the fuel we need to hit the ground running." Iowa was the first shot (as always) for the country to weigh in (at over 90% Anglo-White, Iowa is veeery representative -- that was sarcasm) and the country weighed in yesterday, Iowans, people posing as Iowans, they made their voices heard the in the corrupt scam that gets trotted out every four years as an example of "democracy." Like Dodd, Joe Biden's campaign declared, "Simply put, the Biden for President campaign will shock the world on Januray 3rd." As The Detroit Free Press reported today, both Biden and Dodd have dropped out of the race. Pay attention to Dodd's departure (it matters in a moment). Before we go further, let's quote Iowa's Secretary of State, "Although not an election, the Iowa Caucuses are the method by which citizens select presidential delegates to the county conventions. The political parties run the caucuses according to party rules. The Iowa Caucuses are not governed by the Secretary of State's Office." Translation, don't blame this on them. In December former editor of The Des Moines Register Gilbert Cranberg, former executive secretary of the state's Freedome of Information Council Herb Strentz and former director of research for The Des Moines Register Glenn Roberts contributed a column to the New York Times entitled "Iowa's Undemocratic Caucuses" noted that, unlike the GOP, the Democratic Party operated in secrecy, "The one-person, one-vote results from each caucus are snail-mailed to party headquarters and placed in a database, never disclosed to the press or made available for inspection." Wayne Ford could (and did) lie on Democracy Now! today that the Iowa represented "the purest form of democracy" but there's no reason everyone else had to go along with it. "We've been doing it since the 60s," he insisted. Exactly why Iowa goes first -- because it is non-reflective and undemocratic and the '60s' is when the system changed. By holding onto Iowa as the "kick off," the party machine tries to control. Make no mistek that's what happens every four years and -- as Wally and Cedric have repeatedly noted, even with the Olympics, they rotate it every four years. With those realities in mind, add, as Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted January 28, 2004, John Kerry, in 2004, was "only the third Democrat in three decades to win both Iowa and New Hampshire in contested races." That's a reality not noted in the press today -- the same press that (big or small) announces it's over for either John Edwards or Hillary Clinton but applaud John McCain who tied for third with a TV actor.
Here are the totals the Iowa Democratic Party says are final:
Senator Barack Obama: 37.58%
Senator John Edwards: 29.75%
Senator Hillary Clinton: 29.47%
Governor Bill Richardson: 2.11%
Senator Joe Bide: .93%
Uncommitted: 0.14%
Senator Chris Dodd: 0.02%
Precincts Reporting: 1781 of 1781
Along with multiple rounds of selection, Iowa's caucus allows those present in the location to know how others are voting. It's not a fair ballot, it's not a secret ballot and if the Democratic Party couldn't control it, Iowa would have long ago been ditched (as it should be) as the "kick off" each presidential election.
Robert Parry (Consortium News) offers: "Sen. Barack Obama thrashing Sen. Clinton". Ruth Conniff (The Progressive) is gleeful as well (it's nice to see Conniff offer something, anything, indicating life), "Since she lost in Iowa, it's hard to see what is left." As Conniff offers up razor blades and sleeping pills and our online latter day Dylan throws in the towel (no link, we don't link to trash), one wonders how Hillary is a "loser" and Barack a "sure thing" off one race?
It takes an informed woman and, in this case, it's Deliah Boyd (A Scriverner's Lament) who explains delegates and super delegates and points out the obvious: Michigan has 156 delegates. Matters because? Hillary's on Michigan's ballot. Who's else is? Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Chris Dodd was but he's ended his campaign. Biden, Edwards, Obama and Richardson all sucked up to the DNC and refused to get on the ballot. So the reality is Hillary is close to Bambi and, apparently, has the lock on the 156 delegates in Michigan. (The DNC says they'll refuse to allow Michigan delegates. They may or may not be able to pull off that threat.)
Over at The Nation -- where few ever grasp anything -- Ari Melber demonstrates (by omission) why it matters that readers be informed and not trust The Nation. The mag that called Hillary out on a vote she missed . . . due to Bill having heart surgery, offers Ari's wet dreams of "Why Obama's Win Is Bigger Than You Think" which takes Hillary to task for spending $7 million of her campaign money. How much did Obama spend? Melber's not interested in saying. $9 million. Doesn't fit with the spin Ari wants to blow out his butt so it doesn't make his blog post. He's not really a reporter (real ones don't work for that rag), so let's turn to a real reporter.
Amy Goodman: I think one big difference, Ellen Chesler [cross talk] I think one big difference and I think this has certainly been brought out is that Barack Obama said he was opposed to the illegal war from the beginning and of course Senator Clinton voted for it.
See the problem? Obama tells Monica Davey (New York Times, July 26, 2004) he doesn't know how he would have voted if he'd been in the Senate. Two years later, he's telling David Remnick (The New Yorker) he doesn't know how he would have voted. Why is Amy Goodman not noting that or the fact that, until the summer of 2007, he voted for every authorization? Why is she noting in the segment that Hillary Clinton's campaign offices have been occupied by peace activists but not noting that Barack's have as well? Shouldn't Wayne Ford have been asked about that?
Hillary's a War Hawk. That's who she is and needs to be pointed out. So is Barack Obama. And these attempts to shield the public from reality may be part of what a political party does (or tries to) but it's not reality and has no place in journalism. Ari thinks it's cute to call Hillary out for her millions spent in Iowa while ignoring how much money Obama spent (like he thought it was cute to call her out for missing a vote when Bill was having surgery). Glen Ford and Bruce Dixon (Black Agenda Report) have repeatedly pointed out that Hillary and Barack are siamese twins. So it's not impossible to report the truth. And it's not impossible to give readers, viewers, listeners the information and trust them to make their own decisions.
Ellen Chesler, speaking for Clinton's campaign, needs to get her act together. Stating that Obama wasn't in the Senate isn't telling the full story. Obviously, Goodman isn't going to bring up the illegal war with Barack's supporter Wayne Ford. Rebecca, back when Obama was lying on stage and hitting Edwards with Edwards' 2002 vote, made the point that Obama needed to be challenged on that nonsense. Obviously the press isn't going to do that (maybe Big Media, but not Little), so any supporter needs to drive the reality home. [Note, the transcript at DN! is currently wrong. Amy Goodman, not Ellen Chesler, says, "Well, let me put the question to Danny Glover. Do you think John Edwards has the same position as Obama, as Clinton, on the war?"]
This isn't minor. The war was a question for Chesler and for Danny Glover (speaking for John Edwards' campaign). For Obama? Wayne Ford wasn't asked one word. If you're not seeing the problem, you're lying to yourself. A bit like the lie being spread that "Obama's a closet socialist, hop on board, he's big time left, he just can't say so." He's not and he's not left. Do we want a War Hawk in the White House, as the US moves to the wars to Africa, who can lie to the camera and say, "Oh, my father was from Kenya, this is a just war, don't even ask me that!"
I haven't decided who I will vote for in 2008. We'll note one excerpt from a guest in that roundtable, Danny Glover speaking of John Edwards:
Well, I certainly, when we look at what has happened over the last few years -- and certainly the present administration is indicative of what has happened over the last few years in terms of just corporate greed -- certainly I don't believe that. I think that when people begin to address the issues of globalization, they look at corporate greed. When they begin to identify what is happening in the community, they look at greed, whether it's corporate greed, whether it's the greed that gentrifies the community or the greed that gentrifies a whole nation of people. I think that it's important that we look at the real issue, the real issues around poverty in this country. And [inaudible] poverty, those numbers are thirty-seven million, are indicative of the level of poverty and what people face. We look at the issue around the middle class. We look at the issue around the disparity in wages and the increasing gap between wealth in this country. And those are real issues here, you know? I mean, at some point in time, we're going to have to address that. And I don't think--I think that John Edwards says he spent less than anyone else. He's been--and I believe if it's a two-person race, then that "two-person" is between Obama and Edwards.
If the illegal war matters (I obviously think that it does) then it matters that all the candidates be held to the same standard. Amy Goodman asks Hillary's supporter and John Edwards' supporter about the illegal war. Wayne Ford's not asked a word about. Meanwhile, Reuters lies about Obama's Iraq 'plan' claiming that "all troops out within 16 months" is the 'plan.' It's not. He would leave 'trainers' and other classifications and the "one or two brigades a month" is not firm and he's stated he might increase the number or halt the deployment based on what was happening.
If there's a winner on the Dem side in Iowa, it's Edwards. But we all do grasp that only 16% of the people in Iowa caucused, right? The 'process' is nothing like the rest of the country, it's a tiny state with only 7 electoral college votes. Now tiny New Hampshire (4 electoral college votes) with a 95.8% White population will weigh in. February 5th will better determine who the candidate for the two major parties will be. So why the narratives from the press and why is Little Media unable to hold Obama to the same standards they use to crucify Hillary?
16% of 'Iowans' turned out for their non-secret ballot caucus and it's being used to shape narratives. Left out of the narratives are the backdoor deals Obama made with other candidates. Like the idiot Wayne Ford, they pretend they're talking about something but they're just blowing gas. Ford declared today, "I want to talk about the reasons why Obam womn" but he had nothing to talk about. He didn't have anything to talk about in 2004 when he appeared on the program as a John Edwards supporter: "But I have always said that until we have a president who is going to say that one of the top problems in this country is race, and I'm willing to risk and deal with this problem to bring all Americans together." Blah-blah-blah. And that 'reason' was why he backed Edwards in 2004. He's a gas bag. Iowa means nothing and meant nothing. It's not representative. If there was a need for all the post-coverage it would be to examine where the candidates stood on the issue. In outlet after outlet, Iraq was not addressed because Obama was given yet another pass. Meanwhile, Allan Nairn (at CounterPunch) argues that the 2008 general election was decided long ago.
Two other candidates appear tonight on PBS' Bill Moyers Journal:Thousands of media outlets descended on Iowa, erecting a powerful wall of TV cameras and reporters between the voters and candidates. This week on Bill Moyers Journal in two interviews, Bill Moyers talks with Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, candidates with an inside view of the process who know well the power of the press to set expectations and transform the agenda. Also on the program, leading expert on media and elections Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, examines the campaigns and coverage in Iowa and looks at the media's power to benefit some candidates and disadvantage others.
Added artist and journalist David Bacon has a photo exhibit at the Galeria de la Raza (2857 24th St, San Francisco 94110): "Living under the trees" "Viviendo bajo los arboles." The exhibit is from January 11th through February 23rd (Enero 11 - Febrero 23, 2008). "An exhibition documenting communities of indigenous Mexican farm workers in California through photographs and the narrative experiences of community residents and leaders" y
"Una exposicion que documenta a traves de fotografias y testmonios de lideres y residentes las comundades indigenas de campesinos mexicanos." Inauguracion de exposicion (Opening Reception) Enero 11 7:30 p.m. (January 11th). Y mesa redonda de fotografos (photographers' panel) Sabado, Enero 26, 2:00 p.m. (photographers' panel, Saturday, January 26).
the common ills
mikey likes it
iraq
iraq veterans against the war
mcclatchy newspapers
sanhita sinharoy
amy goodmandemocracy now
david bacon
bill moyersbill moyers journalpbs
the new york timesrichard a. oppel jr.the washington postdonna st. george
robert parry
ruth conniff
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