Grab bag

Tuesday. First up, read Hillary is 44's "Exclusive: Obama First Draft Of Speech Leaked" because it's a humor post and hilarious. Or high-larious as the 'kids' say. :D Here's an excerpt:

Fellow citizens of the world, and you Americans – As I leave you tonight to take your anger out on the establishment that stabbed Hillary Clinton in the back in order to make sure that I could be their stooge I have one final announcement to make.

“I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”

For all intents and purposes I have accomplished what I set out to do. I acquired the top job in the nation, and more importantly, in the world. I will continue to attend the duties of the presidency that require dress up time for my wife, Michelle, and allow me to further enjoy myself at the public trough. It’s the Chicago Way.

For those that continue to worship me and want me to remain in touch with you – forget it. I am headed to greener pastures. By green I mean dollar green.

My friend Tom Daschle, who provided me with my campaign staff, provided me with many contacts to fund my needs, and who due to certain tax cheating problems was not able to grasp the top job I offered him – is still by my side.

I will be joining Tom Daschle, who now works for BP and for Big Insurance and for Big PhaRma in the great world of lobbying. I will write books and give speeches as well as license as many products as possible. My presidential library, or at least a branch of it, will be in Hawaii which will afford me plenty of tax-exempt opportunities to travel to that land of pleasure.

For the remaining two years I will attend events and provide speeches as often as possible. And as long as these duties don’t interfere with my golf.

:D


C.I. had another great entry today. Did you see "Dumping The Political Voices of (faux) Women" this morning? The Political Voices of Women? It's a stupid site. I should note that they refused to link to my mother's website so I don't care for that reason. But it's also true that they're worthless.

Why?

Okay, as C.I. points out, they last posted in February. All these months later, they finally do another post and what it's boils down to is, "Yea! That man beat up on Sarah Palin good!"

If that's the Political Voices of Women, heaven help us.

But it's not. It's a lot little cry babies who want the boys to like them so they kiss ass. Oooh, did that hurt?

So did all their bitchery.

There is no point for them to 'return' from a months long vacation to rip into Sarah Palin for the Gulf Disaster. They're just whores for Barack.

And there's no reason for them to link to that man who rips apart every woman he writes about -- and went to town on Hillary.

So what you have is a bunch of scared little girls -- like the blonde who does the site -- who think if they do what the just know the men want them to do, they'll be liked.

I love C.I. letting them have it. And she's been doing that a lot lately. I already know what she's planning on calling 2010's year in review. If you've missed the past ones, check out:

• 2006: The Year of Living Dumbly
• 2007: The Year of Living Useless
• 2008: The Year of Living Hormonally
• 2009: The Year of Living Sickly

There's also a 2005 one but on that one C.I. was quoting e-mails. And it's great and if she wanted to do another one like that, it would be wonderful. But she's started doing essays and they are just amazing. 2010: The Year ____ ____. It's two words, those of you who like charades. She's wondering if she needs to put an 'of' type thing in it to have it like the others. I told her no and that her title was just perfect. It really is. :D

PUMA PAC has an interesting post here and I'll note this from it:

Meanwhile, the “news” that Americans like and admire Hillary Clinton more than obama (by a significant margin) is, also unsurprisingly, presented with the mandatory omission of the ONE BASIC FACT that changes everything: Hillary Clinton won the 2008 Democratic primaries if the way one defines “winning” primaries is by counting up all the votes and declaring the person who receives the most votes the “winner.” A radical thought, I know. Hillary Clinton has ALWAYS BEEN and will ALWAYS BE more popular with voters than barack “the neophyte” obama. She won more votes in the Democratic primaries and caucuses than he did in 2008 and I’ll bet my last dollar she would have beaten McCain by an even wider margin than he did. Repeat after me: When all the votes were counted, Clinton received 17,857,501 votes and obama received 17,584,692 votes. Hillary Clinton has always been and will always be more popular than obama with American voters.

So that's it. The Gulf Disaster continues and so does Barry's speechifying. He just has NO PLAN. All this time later, NO PLAN.

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

Tuesday, June 15, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces another death, the UNHCR releases a new report on refugees, Senator Jim Webb says the costs for recognizing Agent Orange effects are too much, and more.

Today the US military released the following: "CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS BASE SPEICHER, Iraq -- A U.S. Division -- North Soldier died today as a result of a non-combat related wound in northern Iraq. The cause of death is still under investigation. Task Force Marne extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the Family of the fallen Soldier. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense. The names of service members are announced through the U.S. Department of Defense official website at http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/. The announcements are made on the Web site no earlier than 24 hours after notification of the service members' primary next of kin. The incident is under investigation." This brings the total number of US service members killed in the Iraq War to 4406. (ICCC has not updated yet and still lists 4405.)

Friday a bombing attack on US service members resulted in the deaths of 2 US soldiers. Yesterday's snapshot included the statement US Senator Blanche Lincoln's office issued on the death of SPC William Yauch. Arkansas' other US senator is Mark Pryor and his office issued the following:

Senator Mark Pryor made the following statement on the death of Specialist William C. Yauch of Batesville, Arkansas, who was killed by an IED in Jalula, Iraq. Specialist Yauch was assigned to B Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
Today I join all Arkansans in lifting up the family and friends of U.S. Army Specialist William C. Yauch, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He served our nation with great courage, honor, and distinction, and embodied the meaning of "a true patriot."
Specialist Yauch had the greatest love for his country, and his country will always remember his selfless service. My prayers and thoughts are with his wife and family during this difficult time.

Two US soldiers died on Friday. As noted in yesterday's snapshot, Sgt Israel Obryan of Newsbern, Tennessee was the other soldier killed, he was twenty-four years old and on his second tour of Iraq and his US senators (Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander) and his governor (Phil Bredesen) have issued no statements noting the loss thus far; however, Governor Mike Rounds of South Dakota's office has issued a statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, June 14, 2010CONTACT: Joe Kafka or Roxy Everson, 605-773-3212Stryker Brigade Soldier Killed in Iraq, Wife from SissetonPIERRE, S.D. - The Department of Defense announced today that Sgt. Israel Paul O'Bryan, 24, of Newbern, Tenn., died Friday, June 11, 2010, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device near Jalula, Iraq.
Sgt. O'Bryan's widow, Brenna (Oey) O'Bryan, is from Sisseton, S.D.
According to U.S. Army records, Sgt. O'Bryan enlisted Feb. 27, 2006, at Memphis, Tenn. and reported to Fort Benning, Ga., for initial training in Military Occupational Specialty 11C (Indirect Fire Infantryman), and Airborne Training.
He reported to then-Fort Lewis, Wash., on Dec. 30, 2006, and was assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. The brigade deployed in August 2009 to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; it was O'Bryan's second Mideast deployment with the brigade. His first deployment was in 2007.
O'Bryan's civilian and military education included a high school diploma, two years of college credits, Military Occupational Specialty 11C (Indirect FireInfantryman) Qualification Course, Warrior Leader Course (2008), DLI-Arabic studies (2009).His awards and decorations included the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, and Combat Infantry Badge.Sgt. O'Bryan's wife, Brenna, a former active-duty U.S. Army Soldier assigned to the same brigade, met him on a previous deployment to Iraq. She moved to Sisseton with their son, Turner, age 1, to be with her family during his second deployment. His mother, Denise Jones, lives in Newbern, Tenn., and his father, Richard O'Bryan, resides in Portland, Tenn.
Details for memorial and funeral services are pending and will be released later, but they are expected to be held in Wilmot, S.D.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact JBLM PAO by calling 253-967-0147 or 253-967-0152. After duty hours, call 253-967-0015 (ask for the Public Affairs Officer on call).


I'd planned to address the above Friday death's at the end of the snapshot but today's meant that we really need to keep all of this together. We didn't note politicians' official statements on deaths until a friend with the governor's office pointed out one morning that Arnold had issued one and why didn't I include it? Because he was a Republican? No. I could care less about that. So we included it and have since. Sometimes a friend will pass it on, sometimes the office of politician will pass it on. My problem with it is imbalance. Which is why we usually ignore them in the snapshots and they appear instead in morning entries at The Common Ills. There are some of the fallen who don't get the attention that others do. Maybe they don't have the same number of survivors, maybe they don't live in a press intensive area. When you've got six soldiers dying -- and I'm thinking of one incident in particular -- and two get no reporting at all other than they died, it makes me uncomfortable because it appears some lives matter a lot and some don't. That was my concern with politician's statements as well.

I find it appalling that neither of Tennessee's US senators -- Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker (both Republicans) -- have issued a statement on their native son Israel Obryan. It's great that Governor Mike Rounds issued a statement -- Governor of South Dakota -- but one of the two Tennessee senators (if not both) should have issued a statement. Both of Arkansas' senators (Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor) issued statements on their native son William Yauch.

We included Blanche Lincoln's statement in yesterday's snapshot because a friend with the DSCC caught me (phone) before I dicated the snapshot and because there were 2 US soldiers killed on Friday and it was pretty much ignored. For example, on NPR Fridays, The Diane Rehm Show does two hours -- one domestic panel, one international panel. Ava and I found it very strange that Diane and the gang didn't have time for the two deaths or for Iraq: "It seemed strange to us since the day started, hours before Diane's program began broadcasting live, with the news that there was an attack on US soldiers in Iraq which left 2 dead and six wounded. Setting aside all the other news coming out of Iraq last week, that bombing attack should have insisted that Iraq was discussed. Somehow there was no time for Iraq as a topic on Diane's show. However, Helen Thomas, who apologized and resigned on Monday, was. Which is actually news? Which is international news?" They had time to trash Helen Thomas with a bunch of lies -- during the 'international' hour -- but they didn't have time to note that 2 US soldiers -- William Yauch and Israel Obryan, we now know -- died while serving in Iraq. That's disgusting and appalling and everyone participating in that ___ should hang their heads in shame. And it's going get worse and worse until people make it very clear that they're not going to stand for it. Friday a bombing in Iraq claimed the lives of 2 US soldiers (and left six more injured) and Diane Rehm didn't think that qualified as "news" for her "international" hour. That's disgusting.

Today Pravda features a report entitled "The Pentagon of Democrats: the War Continues, But it is Not Seen." The article opens, "Barack Obama's smile is nicer than George W. Bush, but is even more aggressive and warmongering. In the era of budgetary constraints and public relations, the White House has waived the televised Live bombings preferring secret interventions in the four cardinal points. Through covert operations by special forces, the U.S. is at war today in 75 countries. War is more than we can see daily. In addition to the military operations taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon is waging a secret war in which Iran is one of the main targets." A real shame when you grasp that Russia's Pravda has more guts than the left 'independent' media in this country (such as Pacifica Radio, The Nation, et al).

The UNHCR notes their High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, declared 2009 "not a good year for voluntary repatriation." The refugee crisis and the lack of returns are dealt with in the agencies "2009 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Sateless Persons" which was released today. Among the reports findings:

* "Afghan and Iraqi refugees accounted for almost half of all refugees under UNHCR's responsibility worldwide; one out of four refugees in the world was from Afghanistan (2.9 million). Afghans were located in 71 different asylum countries. Iraqis were the second largest refugee group, with 1.8 million having sought refuge primarily in neighbouring countries."

*38,037 Iraqis returned to Iraq in 2009 (a small and insignificant figure).

Meanwhile Joelle Farrell (Philadelphia Inquirer) reports on an Iraqi refugee who was granted asylum in the US: "For nearly two years, as more and more Iraqis came to view U.S. soldiers not as saviors but as jackals, Safa Ismael showed up for work outside the concrete barricades surrounding the U.S. military base in Mosul."


In today's news cycle, Reuters notes a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the lives of 2 Iraqi soldiers, a Mosul mortar attack wounded a police officer and, dropping back to Monday for all that follows, a Baghdad roadside bombing which claimed the lives of 2 Iraqi police officers and left four more injured, a Baghdad sticky bombing which injured three people and 1 corpse discovered in Kirkuk. UPI notes a Mosul home invasion last night in which 3 members of one family were slaughtered. On the Mosul bombing which claimed the lives of 2 Iraqi soldiers, Xinhua explains eight people were wounded and that an Abu Ghraib roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left a police officer injured while an Abu Ghraib shop bombing resulted in four people being wounded. Meanwhile Reuters notes Mosul's Bou Saif was the locations for clashes which began last night and resulted in at least 7 deaths. Press TV notes 1 Turkish soldier was killed from a PKK bombing on the border between Turkey and Iraq.

Raad Kadhim Nouri asks Leila Fadel (Washington Post), "Where is the security if, for an 18-minute session, they close all the streets? It means there is no security." He's a street vendor in Baghdad dealing with the lack of services in Baghdad -- his home has "only one hour of electricity every five hours" -- as well as the "120-degree heat." The man's been a vendor since before the start of the Iraq War and his thoughts include, "Nothing will change from the last parliament.""Frankly, the politicians are just wearing us out," a shop owner, Saif Ali, tells Anthony Shadid (New York Times). "Unemployment? Electricity? Housing? Since 2003 -- for seven years now -- no one has solved it yet. [. . .] Even the water is dirty."Elections held only weeks away from the seventh anniversary of the Iraq War and this is what the Iraqi people are seeing. The mood's captured in a cartoon posted to McClatchy's Inside Iraq which asks, "Is there any Iraqi official who cares about people's pain and suffering?" There's no progress. There was no progress under Bully Boy Bush, there will be no progress under Barack. A foreign power can't make democracy. An occupied land does not embrace the (publicly expressed) ideals and goals of the occupied power.And if that doesn't disturb you, maybe this will from Anthony Shadid's article:"There is clearly a divide," said Ryan C. Crocker, the former American ambassador to Iraq and a longtime diplomat in the Middle East. He described an "elitist authoritarianism that basically ignores the people." "Right now, what I'm concerned about is the persistence of the political culture in which the governors simply do not really care about the governed," he said. "Saddam didn't invent it. This is part of a persistent Iraqi political culture, and it did not produce a happy state after 1958 at any point, and I would worry that it will not now." Good for Shadid for going to Crocker. He has to be appalled by what he's seeing. The US has failed diplomatically and any hopes of a pretty red bow being tied around the whole thing are long gone. Fate and Chris Hill have ensured that. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) reports some disturbing news:However, Allawi's supporters are wagering that Maliki's coalition will still fall apart because of the competing interests of its different Shiite parties. Allawi has warned that a government formed without him could unleash a new round of sectarian fighting. Maliki has issued similar warnings.Some lawmakers from Maliki's list suggested that a deal on who will be prime minister could be hammered out within a few weeks, but most lawmakers believe it will take at least until August before a government is seated. Internal U.S. military projections, viewed by The Times, say the government is likely to be seated in October, or in a best-case scenario September, if negotiations gain speed.That is in such marked contrast to the b.s. Hill keeps serving up. Why do we allow that? Why do we allow our public servants -- whom we pay -- to lie to us?Chris Hill's inclination to lie was well known long before he finally dragged his tired to Baghdad. At some point, history will ask: What made Barack pick Chris Hill as an ambassador?


Turning to veterans issues. WAVY reports (link has text and video) that victims of Agent Orange (specifically Vietnam era veterans) could recieve addition beneifts for B-Cell Leukemia, Parkinson's disease and coronary heart disease. Could? A US Senator is objecting to the proposed changes by VA. Jim Webb has written VA Secretary Eric Shinseki that ". . . this single executive decision is estimated to cost a minimum of $42.2 billion over the next ten years. A regulatory action of this magnitude requires proper Congressional review and oversight." Besides, Webb wrote, "Heart disease is a common phenomenon regardless of potential exposure to Agent Orange." That is really embarrasing and especially embarrassing for the Democratic Party (Webb is a Democrat today, having converted from a Reagan Republican). It also goes a long way towards explaining Webb's refusal to get on board with Senator Evan Bayh's bill to create a national registry that would allow those Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans to be able to receive treatment for their exposures without having to jump through hoops repeatedly.


A friend with People magazine always asks for a link, we're linking to this article they did on David Arquette. I know David and he's a strong supporter of Operation Mend and, as the article notes in passing, he was at an Operation Mend benefit Monday night. He actually spoke and so did retired Marine Cpl Aaron P. Mankin who shared his story which includes an IED attack in May of 2005 in which claimed four lives and left eleven wounded. Cpl Mankin's wounds included severe burns on over a quarter of his body. He discusses that for the program here (Flash Video) and here (Windows Media Video). The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center and the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System partnered together for Operation Mend. Operation Mend assists wounded service members. They explain: "The costs associated with one wounded warrior's Operation Mend care is approximately $500,000. These expenses include patient evaluation, plastic and reconstructive surgieries, transportation and housing, care coordination, and other patient services. The single largets cost is the multiple, lenghty and complex plastic and reconstructive surgeries required for these heroes. With private support, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is able to expand the treatment options available using some of the best surgeons and clinicians in the country." Operation Mend is for all branches of the military and you can even be active duty and use the services. You can find out more about the program by clicking here. Gunnery Sgt Blaine Scott allowed Los Angeles Times' Spencer Weiner to photograph his exam and surgery and you can click here for that essay.

And we'll close with this from the Senate Democratic Policy Committee:

Despite the billion-dollar costs associated with the Gulf Coast oil spill, Big Oil companies enjoy the protection of a $75 million dollar cap on liability. Unless the cap is increased, these companies, earning profits in excess of $24 billion in the first quarter of 2010, will only have to legally pay for a fraction of the overall economic impact of this preventable disaster. In recent weeks, Senate Democrats have brought forward legislation that would ensure Big Oil companies pay for their own mistakes by raising the liability cap for offshore oil well spills. Senate Democrats have also released a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward, calling on the company to put aside $20 billion in a special account to ensure repayment to victims of the spill.

Blindly trusting Big Oil to take full responsibility, Senate Republicans have blocked this legislation and left hard-working American families at risk of paying for the economic damage caused by oil spills. Last month, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell defended the oil industry by stating that BP would "pay for this."

Have Republicans forgotten about Big Oil's track record?

Here is a look back at the oil companies' record of negligence in some of the biggest domestic oil spills:

March 2006 – A pipe owned and operated by BP cracked, leaking over 200,000 gallons of oil into Prudhoe Bay , Alaska . The oil spread into wetlands, shorelines and rivers along the coast. Despite pleading guilty to violating the Clean Water Act, BP is still fighting fines and attempting to limit their liability from this disaster.
March 2005 – A fire and explosion at a BP refinery in Texas City , Texas killing 15 workers and injures another 170. The company was fined $87 million for occupational and worker safety violations. In October of 2009, BP announced that it would challenge the record-setting penalty with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
November 2000 – Over 550,000 gallons of crude oil leaked into the Mississippi River just 60 miles south of New Orleans , Louisiana after the tanker Westchester lost power and ran aground. Cleanup procedures took close to three months, and the owner of the ship settled with federal and state agencies for an undisclosed amount.
January 1996 – The tank barge North Cape grounded off of Moonstone Beach , Rhode Island , pouring 20,000 barrels of home heating oil into Block Island Sound. The spill killed more than 10 million lobsters and resulted in a ban on fishing in the area for several months. The owner of North Cape agreed to restock a portion of the wildlife and pay $8 million to restore other resources.
August 1993 – Three vessels collided at the entrance to the Tampa Bay, Florida port, resulting in the release of approximately 328,000 gallons of jet fuel, gasoline, diesel fuel, and crude oil.
June 1990 – The tanker Mega Borg released over 5 million gallons of crude oil after colliding with a second ship 60 miles off of Galveston , Texas . A subsequent fire on the tanker quickly ignited the gushing oil, burning approximately 100,000 barrels.
February 1990 – A BP-chartered oil tanker, American Trader, punctured its hull off the coast of Orange County, California . More than 410,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into ocean. Recreational and biological impacts totaled over $14 million, which the BP fought in court.
March 1989 – The tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound , Alaska , spilling 260,000 barrels of oil into the ocean. Despite the catastrophic damages from the 53 million gallon spill, Exxon used antiquated maritime law to stall and eventually reduce the amount (from $5 billion to $500 million) paid to Alaska 's fishermen, Native Alaskans, and landowners.
December 1976 – On its way to Boston , the Argo Merchant tanker ran aground southeast of Nantucket , Massachusetts . The ship could not be salvaged and eventually broke apart on the rocks, spilling all 183,000 barrels of oil into the bay.
January 1969 – A Union Oil Company platform situated six miles off the coast of Santa Barbara , California suffered a blowout. Almost 3 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean, covering 800 square miles of water and over 35 miles of coastline. Local companies and residents filed a class-action lawsuit, and the company paid just $6.5 million. In response to the accident, drilling was halted off the California coast for almost two decades

Outer Continental Shelf Civil and Criminal Penalties. Oil companies have also continued to violate the Department of the Interior's regulations stipulated under the Minerals Management Service Outer Continental Shelf Civil and Criminal Penalties Program. Here are just a few examples:

In 2009 there were 20 individual cases, combining 30 violations, totaling $919,000.

The most notable violation involved the plugging and abandoning of a well and the company was fined $440,000.

In 2008 there were 31 individual cases, combining 68 violations, totaling $2,210,250.

One of the most notable violations involved a finding that the remote blowout preventer (BOP) control station was functioning without any operating pressure and that the stairs to the BOP remote station were unsafe.

In 2007 there were 36 individual cases, combining 37 violations, totaling $3,106,000.

One of the most notable violations involved a finding that a piece of the BOP equipment had not be subjected to proper testing.

In 2006 there were 41 individual cases, combining 54 violations, totaling $1,480,000.

One of the most notable violations involves a finding that a BOP station on a rig was not operating key pieces of the BOP on the ocean floor.

Senate Republicans should stop trusting Big Oil to own up to its responsibility, and allow this important legislation to pass.

UPDATED DPC Fact Sheet | Whose Side Are They On: Republicans Defend Big Oil Despite The Industry's Track Record


iraq
the los angeles timesned parkerthe new york timesanthony shadidthe washington postleila fadelnprall things consideredlourdes garcia-navarroinside iraqmcclatchy newspapers

Rothschild, Isaiah, Third

Monday! And I'm feeling it. Really feeling it. How about you?

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Not A Clue"

A

And that rhymed. Thought that wasn't my intent. I'm dragging tonight, just FYI.

Okay, this is from Matthew Rothschild's "No Applause for Clapper:"

Here’s a head scratcher for you: Why in the world has Barack Obama nominated retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the next director of national intelligence?
Number one, he’s not a civilian, and it sure would be nice to have a non-uniformed person in charge of intelligence, especially as the Pentagon keeps encroaching onto this turf.
But this bureaucratic argument doesn’t concern me nearly so much as the fact that Clapper ran the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency for Bush and Cheney from 2001 to 2006.

That's about all I can agree with. Rothschild goes on to talk about Barry O's phony stance of anti-war only Matthew accepts it. The same one who called out Barry O's awful 2004 speech. Matthew used to be so much smarter.

Okay, turning to Third. Along with Dallas, here's who worked on the edition:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, and Ava,

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),

Ruth of Ruth's Report,

Wally of The Daily Jot,

Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,

Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,

Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,

and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.

And what did we end up writing?

Truest statement of the week -- This is Matthew Rothschild.

Truest statement of the week II -- I did not nominate myself, just FYI. C.I. nominated me and said she'd really like for me to get it.

A note to our readers -- Jim breaks down the edition.

Editorial: Magical August -- And Jim really captured this. We were soooooooo tired. Rebecca came up with the flowers, that's the flowers for the month of August and that allowed us to get focused and pull something together. But we were sooo tired. I was complaining about how tired we were and how we shouldn't wait until the end to do the editorial when Elaine reminded me that there are times Ava and C.I. are doing their TV commentary AFTER the editorial. That caused me to cease whining.

Media: Let's Kill Helen! -- This is the brilliant article that Ava and C.I. wrote. If nothing else this edition, right here, this article was a winner. Read it and grasp that no one writes like them. No one.

Roundtable -- this is the MidEast roundtable. Today, I found many people --even at Huffington Post -- making a point C.I. makes here. No surprise, a lot of people read Third.

National treasure -- Helen Thomas. I really love the illustration here that Betty's kids did with Kat. Be sure to check that out.

Astroroots -- If there's another article you really need to read this edition -- after Ava and C.I.'s, it's this one.

Odds & Ends Roundtable -- A basic roundtable.

Highlights -- and you know who wrote this.

As I already pointed out, I'm very, very tired tonight. So that's going to be it for me.

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

Monday, June 14, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, Iraq's MPs take oaths and do roll call (and little else), Nouri's vanity continues to be a sticky point in his most recent alliance, the weekend sees an assault on a Baghdad bank robbery, the US State Dept issues a report on human trafficking, and more.

Today Iraq's semi-newly elected Parliament convened. Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) reports, "Two men, both of them seated in the parliament's first row, loomed over the session: Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and Iyad Allawi, the former prime minister whose coalition won a narrow plurality in the new assembly. Neither man has budged in insisting that he should be the one to head the next government." March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. Three months and two days later, still no government. 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance. Together, the two still lack four seats necessary (or so it is thought) to form the government. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) observes, "More than three months after the election and a manual recount of more than 2 million ballots, there is still no agreement between political leaders as to who actually won. Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's secular coalition maintains that the two-seat lead he won in the election entitles him to head a government while Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's new Shiite alliance formed after the poll argues that its greater number of seats gives it that right."

Nayla Razzouk and Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) reports that the "majority of lawmakers [. . .] took the oath in the two official lanagues, Arabic and Kurdish, before the elder lawmaker, Fuad Massum, closed the session. Iraq's constitution stipulates that the house elect a speaker, two deputy speakers and a new president, who asks the leader of the largest bloc to name a new prime minister." Ned Parker (Los Angeles Times) adds the MPs were "dressed in Western suits, tribal robes and clerics' turbans". Anne Barker (Australia's ABC News) notes, "After the national anthem, a recitation from the Koran and the oath of allegiance, the acting speaker declared the session still open but suspended indefinitely." Reuters explains that Fouad Masoum is a Kurd and "one of the chamber's oldest members and picked to open the session." Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) quotes Massoum stating, ""The voters who risked their lives and the lives of their families to cast their votes are looking forward to us speeding up the process of government formation and then being completely dedicated to serving the public and providing their security and stability ...needs." Zhang Xiang (Xinhua) adds, "Legislator Fouad Masum opened the session at about 11:15 a.m. ( 0815 GMT) [. . .] About 20 minutes later, Masum adjourned the session until further notice to give the political blocs more time to agree on a new speaker and his two deputies." Anthony Shadid (New York Times) observes, "Given the deadlock, the brevity of the session was expected. It was recessed until an unspecified date, possibly when a broader agreement on a coalition is reached. The most optimistic prediction for a deal was a week; the more pessimistic said months." Leila Fadel (Washington Post) adds, "The deeper issues of the nation were apparent in the short session. The followers of fiery Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who strongly opposes the U.S. military role in Iraq, threatened to walk out in the days before Monday's session to protest the presence of U.S. Ambassador Christopher R. Hill." Fadel goes on to quote Iraq's Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, and note that he is "a Kurdish member of the new parliament." Apparently with him, Nouri and assorted others present today, the issue of the Constitution barring members of Parliament from holding "an executive post in the government" has been ignored. Shadid noted it might be months, Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) quotes Sadr bloc member Baha al-Araji stating, "We need time to sort it out. We have two We need time to sort it out," says Baha al-Araji, a senior member of the Sadr bloc. "We have two problems – one inside the new bloc and the other with Iraqiya and the Kurds -- I think we need at least two months to settle that." Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc makes up the most seats in the Iraqi National Alliance followed by Ammar al-Hakim's bloc. Sami Moubayed (Gulf News) explains al-Hakim also has trust issues when it comes to Nouri and that he "was visibly angry with Al Maliki's insistence that no one but he was entitled to the Iraqi premiership" and quotes him stating, "I speak to the politicians and tell them: Come down from your ivory tower and [do away] with your personal ambitions!" Saturday, Muhanad Mohammed (Reuters) reported that the Council of Ministers' office was the location of a meeting between Ayad Allawi and Nouri al-Maliki whose political slates came in first and second respectively in the March elections. No major issues are thought to have been resolved in the meeting. The National Newspaper explains, "Saturday's much-anticipated meeting between the head of the Iraqiya bloc, Iyad Allawi, and the incumbent prime minister Nuri al Maliki, who leads the State of Law faction, has yielded no tangible outcome." Meanwhile Spencer Swartz (Wall St. Journal) explains that Barham Salih, Kurdish Prime Minister, is holding out for "written guarantees from Iraq's main political leaders that key Kurdish issues, such as the region's right to oversee its oil resources, will be protected before it backs a new Iraqi government". Damiem McElroy (Telegraph of London) quotes Salih stating, "It cannot be the Kurds and Shia going it alone and a protracted struggle would not be good for Iraq. The country's needs an inclusive and competent that address the stagnation of the economy, the mismanagement of the oil revenues and failure to restore electricity supplies and other services to the people." Meanwhile the always oblivious (and stoned?) US Ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill held a press conference in Baghdad. Alsumaria TV gets praise for enduring the yawnfest and reporting that (no surprise), "US ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill said he is optimistic over the dialogue between the Iraqi political parties which aim at forming a new government."

Today on Morning Edition (NPR), Steve Inskeep noted that over 65% of the MPs "are newcomers" as he introduced Lourdes Garcia-Navarro's latest report from Iraq. In this one, she's interviewing former MP's who paint a picture of immense corruption. Mithal al-Alousi states that neighboring countries have bought off MPs with bribes. Former MP Wathab Shaker adds that the corruption was widespread, "Unfortunately, a big number of them built houses outside Iraq. Politicians would use their influence to push certain deals through. The proof is that there has been so much money spent on reconstruction in Iraq, but where are the buildings, the hospitals, the schools, the electricity, the water? We could be the richest country in the world, but our people are digging through the trash." Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) notes, "Only 64 of the 325 representatives served in the previous parliament."

From law makers to law breaking, Oliver August (Times of London) reports:An investigation by The Times in five Iraqi provinces has found that hazardous material from US bases is being dumped locally rather than sent back to America, in clear breach of Pentagon rules.North and west of Baghdad, engine oil is leaking from 55-gallon drums into dusty ground, open acid canisters sit within easy reach of children, and discarded batteries lie close to irrigated farmland. A 2009 Pentagon document shown to The Times by a private contractor working with US soldiers mentions "an estimated 11 million pounds [5,000 tonnes] of hazardous waste" produced by American troops.

Sean Alfano (New York Daily News) and UPI picked up on August's report. August files an update noting that the paper's report (his report, but he credits the paper) has led to the US military announcing there will be an investigation into how hazardous material was disposed with prosecution looming for anyone found guilty: "Three American generals faced a barrage of questions on environmental damage at a press conference called to explain the closure of US bases during the troop withdrawal that started last January and will end in December 2011."

A bank was attacked Sunday. Yesterday Martin Chulov (Guardian) reported, "Militants wearing Iraqi military uniforms stormed Baghdad's Central Bank today after using a suicide bomber and at least four other bombs to blast their way into one of the city's most heavily-fortified buildings." Counting 15 dead and "dozens wounded," Suadad al-Salhy and Muhanad Mohammed (Reuters) explained, "The attack occurred as bank employees were leaving work, sending a thick plume of smoke over Baghdad after the bank's generator was set ablaze." Anthony Shadid (New York Times) provided more specifics of the scene of the attack, "The scene itself was reminiscent of the strife that the country experienced during the worst sectarian bloodshed in 2006 and 2007, when Iraq teetered on the edge of anarachy. In the pandemonium, bystanders, employees and shoppers ran for cover. Witnesses said many were killed or wounded in the crossfire between attackers and the police. For hours, ambulances ferried the wounded from the neighborhood." Liz Sly and Nadeem Hamid (Los Angeles Times) counted 24 dead and add, "According to Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta Moussawi, spokesman for security forces in Baghdad, no apparent attempt was made to steal money, but several floors of the building were set ablaze after the gunmen entered." Before Sly and Hamid filed, Jinan Hussein and Leila Fadel (Washington Post) were already noting, "Despite his assertion, it was unclear whether al-Qaeda in Iraq was responsible or whether the robbery was simply a criminal attack. The Central Bank houses sensitive documents." Today Kim Gamel (AP) notes the increased death toll from Sunday's Baghdad bank attack (bombs and gunfire): at least 26 dead.
Turning to violence reported today. Daren Butler and Mark Heinrich (Reuters) note overnight clashes on or near the border Iraq shares with Turkey resulted in the death of 1 Turkish soldier with an additional four injured. Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Mosul market bombing claimed 1 life and left twenty-seven injured (the bomb was in a wheel barrow). AFP reports that a Baghdad bombing claimed the life of 1 police colonel and 1 police officer with three more injured and a Diyala Province bombing which claimed the life of 1 Sawha and the man's wife. Sahwa are also known as "Awakenings" and "Sons Of Iraq." Nouri has pulled the Diyala Province Sahwa's right to carry firearms.

"War forced them to leave their country, now a number of Iraqi refugees in Europe are being forced to return," declared Mike Hanna last week on Inside Story (Al Jazeera). He was noting the forced deportations from England, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden.


Mike Hanna: The Iraqi diaspora is one of the largest in modern times. The UN has described it as a humanitarian crisis. To date, more than 4.5 million Iraqis have been uprooted. While 2.5 million of them are internally displaced, over 2 million found refuge abroad. Out of that, only some hundred-thousand submitted asylum claims within the EU and most of them have been unsuccessful. Germany has close to 40,000 Iraqi refugees. Sweden is home to another 40,000 according to the government. 460 Iraqis have been deported in the last two years while over 4,000 have returned voluntarily after being denied asylum. The Netherlands has more than 15,000 Iraqi refugees. But the government has tightened its policy after public opinion became increasingly opposed to integration.

The shameful forced deportations take place as the US State Dept issues a new report, "Trafficking in Persons Report 2010." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explains the report:

I am pleased to celebrate and reflect upon the last decade of progress identifying and fighting the phenomenon of modern slavery. Ten years ago, the United Nations negotiated the international standards against trafficking in persons and the United States enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Since then, the international community has witnessed tangible progress in the effort to end the scourge of trafficking in persons. More victims have been protected, more cases have been successfully prosecuted, and more instances of this human rights abuse have been prevented.
Countries that once denied the existence of human trafficking now work to identify victims and help them overcome the trauma of modern slavery, as well as hold responsible those who enslave others. Although progress has undoubtedly been made against this global phenomenon, there is more work to do. This annual assessment is an opportunity to diagnose the world's efforts to implement the "3P" paradigm of prevention, protection, and prosecution. Based on lessons learned, we must work together with civil society, the corporate sector, and across governments through the "fourth P" -- partnership -- toward a world in which every man, woman, and child is safe from the hands of traffickers and can realize their God-given potential.
The 10th annual Trafficking in Persons Report outlines the continuing challenges across the globe, including in the United States. The Report, for the first time, includes a ranking of the United States based on the same standards to which we hold other countries. The United States takes its first-ever ranking not as a reprieve but as a responsibility to strengthen global efforts against modern slavery, including those within America. This human rights abuse is universal, and no one should claim immunity from its reach or from the responsibility to confront it.

The section of the report on Iraq includes:

Some Iraqi boys from poor families are subjected to forced street begging and other nonconsensual labor exploitation and forced commercial sexual exploitation. Some women from Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines who migrated to the area under the jurisdiction of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) experienced conditions of involuntary domestic servitude after being recruited with offers of different jobs. An Iraqi official revealed networks of women have been involved in the trafficking and sale of male and female children for the purposes of forced prostitution. There were reports some Iraqi boys were trafficked internally for the purpose of organ donation; Baghdad hospitals did not question the "voluntary" donation because often the father of the boy was present. There have been isolated cases of Iraqi border forces intercepting older men and young girls attempting to travel together out of Iraq using fake documents; NGOs contend these are cases of trafficking. Anecdotal evidence and media reports suggested some trafficking victims were taken from orphanages and other charitable institutions by employees of these organizations. The Government of Iraq does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so in spite of resource and capability constraints. The Iraqi government continued to move its draft anti-trafficking bill through its legislative structures. Because the determination that Iraq is making significant efforts is based on indications of a commitment to take additional future steps over the next year, particularly the passage of the anti-trafficking law, Iraq is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year. Despite these overall significant efforts, the government did not show progress over the last year in punishing trafficking offenses using existing laws, identifying and protecting victims of trafficking, or preventing trafficking from occurring.

The report finds that the Iraqi government has made little-to-no progress on enforcing anti-trafficking. While not listing punishments for the crime, the Constitution makes clear that human trafficking is not allowed. A bill is winding its way through the process. The report finds that the victims of human trafficking are not being provided with needed services and that males and females forced into sexual slavery will most likely themselves be punished in courts due to the fact that "coercion is not recognized in Iraqi courts as a legal defense for engaging in an unlawful act". In addition, when the Iraqi government has known of forced labor, they've failed to assist the victims and have instead deported them back to their countries of origin such as with 14 Ugandan women.

On the subject of the US State Dept, Richard Lardner (AP) reports that the Department wants its own military force to protect its embassy staff after the US military drawsdown or departs or 'departs'. Which translates as? Their wish list, Lardner reports, includes 24 Black Hawk helicpoters as well as "50 bomb-resistant vehicles, heavy cargo trucks, fuel trailers and high-tech surveillance systems".
Monday April 5th, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7th, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley Manning and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Philip Shenon (Daily Beast) reported Friday that the US government is attempting to track down WikiLeaks' Julian Assange. Mike Gogulski has started a website entitled Help Bradley Manning. Dave Lindorff (This Can't Be Happening) notes the US government's dragnet for Julian Assange:
How is it (mainstream journalists ought to be asking but aren't), that the Pentagon can unleash its vast intelligence resources to hunt down the Australian-born Assange, but cannot bring itself to devote those same resources and commitment to hunting down Osama Bin Laden, the man they claim is behind not only the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon itself, but also the resistance to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan?I'm not sure which is the bigger scandal here: the Pentagon's grotesque misallocation of resources, or the media's unwillingness to point it out.There is no indication or claim by the government that Wikileaks has paid anyone anything to reveal US secrets -- in fact the government claims it isn't even interested in arresting Asange, just in "trying to convince him" not to release those cables. (Yeah, sure. I believe that like I believe the government wants fair hearings at its secret military tribunals in Guantanamo.) The secrets he has disclosed have been volunteered to Wikileaks by government and military whistleblowers, one of whom, Army intelligence specialist Bradley Manning, is now under arrest in Kuwait, a US client state where there are no protections against torture. Note that even what Manning did should not be considered a crime in any just, open society. He didn't endanger US security as claimed; rather, he revealed a possible crime -- the killing of civilians by US forces -- that the government itself was covering up and refusing to investigate. (He says he tried to pursue justice within the military chain of command and was ignored, which is why he turned to Wikileaks.) The man is not criminal or traitor. He's a hero.

Friday a bombing attack on US service members resulted in the deaths of 2 US soldiers. Today US Senator Blanche Lincoln's office issued the following:

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln today released the following statement upon learning of the passing of Specialist William C. Yauch, 23, of Batesville. Specialist Yauch died in Jalula, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
According to initial reports, Specialist Yauch died of injuries sustained when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol. He is survived by his wife of Batesville, his mother of Cave City, and his father of Saint Charles, Missouri.
"My heart goes out to the family of Specialist Yauch who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation," Lincoln said. "Along with all Arkansans, I am grateful for his service and for the service and sacrifice of all of our military service members and their families. I am committed to ensuring they have the full support that they need and deserve. Our grateful nation will not forget them when their military service is complete.
"More than 11,000 Arkansans on active duty and more than 10,000 Arkansas reservists have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. These men and women have shown tremendous courage and perseverance through the most difficult of times. As neighbors, as Arkansans, and as Americans, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to honor their service and to provide for them and their families, not only when they are in harm's way but also when they return home. It is the least we can do for those whom we owe so much."
Specialist Yauch was assigned to B Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
The other soldier killed in the attack was Sgt Israel Obryan of Newsbern, Tennessee who was twenty-four years old and on his second tour of Iraq. A friend with the DSCC gave me the heads up to Senator Lincoln's statement above. Tennessee has two Republican senators (Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander) but, for the record, their websites were checked for statements on Obryan. There were none. Tennessee' governor is a Democrat, Phil Bredesen, and his website was also checked (and his office was checked with). There was no statement at present on Obryan. If any of the three Tenn. officials issues a statement, we'll note it.

Staying with service members, Hal Bernton (Seattle Times)reports, "Seattle researchers, with the aid of sophisticated scanning technology, have found long-term changes in brain functions of Iraq veterans exposed to blast shock waves." Iraq War veteran and police officer Timothy E. Carson faces charges in the US for a January 6th bank robbery attempt. Sarah Lemagie (Minneapolis Star Tribune) reports his attorney, Andrea George, told the court Friday that Carson "was under severe stress from financial problems, a deceptive wife, a sick child and nightmares about his military service in Iraq". Hart Van Denburg (Minneapolis City Pages) adds he "was evidently hoping for a suicide-by-cop confrontation the day he robbed a bank". AP notes that Carson entered a plea of guilty back in March and that current court proceedings are over the sentencing with the prosecution wanting at least nine years prison time and George arguing for less prison time for her client (seven years) and for psychological treatment.

"They gave me a gun" he said
"They gave me a mission
For the power and the glory --
Propaganda -- piss on 'em.
There's a war zone inside me --
I can feel things exploding --
I can't even hear the f**king music playing
For the beat of -- the beat of black wings."
[. . .]
"They want you -- they need you --
They train you to kill --
To be a pin on some map --
Some vicarious thrill --
The old hate the young
That's the whole heartless thing
The old pick the wars
We die in 'em
To the beat of -- the beat of black wings."
-- "The Beat of Black Wings," words and music by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm.

Moving over to a UK service member, Danny Fitzsimons continues to await trial in Iraq. He served in the British military for eight years and was stationed in Afghanistan and Kosovo as well as Iraq. He returned to Iraq last fall as a British contractor, or mercenary, accused of being the shooter in a Sunday, August 9th Green Zone incident in which 1 British contractor, Paul McGuigan, and 1 Australian contractor, Darren Hoare, died and one Iraqi, Arkhan Madhi, was injured. His family has explained that he suffers from PTSD and have asked that the trial be moved to England. Eric and Liz Fitzsimons (his father and step-mother) spoke to the BBC (link has video):
Liz Fitzsimons: You see, when he came out of the army because the army had always been his life, it was then at a real crossroads in his life and where some people might be able to cope, unfortunately, Daniel didn't cope well because he did enjoy army life. It was all he ever wanted, he loved it. And you come out and you live Middleton, which is where he ended up, and he couldn't find a path that suited him, he couldn't find a job although he tried very hard. And a testament to Daniel is that he joined a gym and kept himself -- Daniel likes routine. Daniel goes to the gym every day almost, I would suggest, every day, goes jogging he's a very clean young man. You know, he's not sort of gone wayward and just gone to the dogs kind of thing. And he met a girl, like you want your children to do, but then he wanted the normal life and he wanted the money that would go with a normal life. How does he do that when he can't find a job? And unfortunately becoming a security --
Eric Fitzsimons: He went back into doing security.
Liz Fitzimons: -- person in Iraq. [. . .] Oh, awful. Awful. The situation in Iraq isn't good, is it? We all know it's not good. But he would be out in convoys I believe their main job is to escort to --
Eric Fitzsimons: Oil [workers? Second word isn't clear.]
Liz Fitzsimons : Yes but they do escort people to jobs. And they do ride shotgun basically. They ride around --
Eric Fitzsimons: He's told us quite a lot of --
Liz Fitzsimons: Yeah.
Eric Fitsimons: -- tales
Liz Fitzsimons: He saw some awful things. The person in the cab next to him was blown up.
Eric Fitzsimons: Yeah.
Liz Fitzsimons: Next to him. At the same he had a bullet in his foot.
Eric Fitzsimons: Bullet in his foot, yeah, he's seen all sorts of IEDs you know, sorts of explosions at the side of the road. Loads and loads of them. And seen lots and lots of his friends killed.
In an article published today by Fleetwood Weekly News, Liz Fitzsimons states, "It's a nightmare. By August it will be virtually a year since the incident happened. We are quite worried about Danny now. It's a struggle for him. We already know that he's suffering from PTSD. He's on medication but it must be very difficult for him. The case has been adjourned so many times now but we hope on August 4 they'll actually start the trial. Even when it starts, it'll still be a long time..." He was supposed to go on trial last January. It was pushed back. Today it was pushed back again. BBC News reports the trial is now set for August 4th. Richard Spencer (Telegraph of London) adds that this is true barring any "further medical reports which contradict the assessment" that Danny's fit to stand trial.
Winding down, Ann notes that singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon is Terry Gross' guest on today's Fresh Air. Audio is up at the program's website. Wally asked me to note this press release Madre sent to him:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContacts: New York: Yifat Susskind, Policy and Communications Director, MADRE (available through Diana Duarte, Media Coordinator, MADRE) (212) 627-0444; email: media@madre.org Geneva: Malya Villard-Appolon (available through Lisa Davis, Human Rights Attorney, MADRE) 078 / 7991892; email: ldavis@madre.org Geneva: Blaine Bookey, Attorney, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti(415) 515-8956 (US number in Geneva); email: blaine@ijdh.org
Haitian Women's Rights Activist Leaves Camp for Displaced People to Testify before the UN Human Rights Council
**Additional information will be presented at a press meeting on Tuesday, June 8 at 9:45 am, in the Library of Press Room 2, Palais des Nations (Main UN Building in Geneva, Avenue de la Paix)**
June 7, 2010- Geneva, Switzerland -Today, as the United Nations Human Rights Council gathers in Geneva, its representatives will hear testimony from Malya Villard-Appolon, a Haitian women's rights activist and MADRE partner who has lived in the camps for displaced people since the earthquake destroyed her home in January. Ms. Appolon, a leader of KOFAVIV, a Haitian grassroots women's organization, has witnessed the skyrocketing incidence of rape in the camps and the lack of a coordinated or effective response to these persistent threats. Also testifying will be lawyers from MADRE, the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), and the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, who recently returned from a delegation to Haiti and will be accompanying Ms. Appolon in Geneva. Today, Malya Villard-Appolon of KOFAVIV said, "We want to tell the Human Rights Council that the systems for protecting women in the camps are broken. We get no protection from the police, or the peacekeepers. We feel we do not have access to the rooms where decisions about our safety are made. We need the support and commitment of the international community." In her testimony, Ms. Appolon will call for increased security measures to prevent rape within the camps in repeated attacks against women sleeping in their tents, walking to the latrines, or otherwise left vulnerable. She will also demand that grassroots women's groups - often the only source of support for rape survivors and other women subsisting in the camps - be included in decision-making related to the United Nation's work in Haiti. Furthermore, she will insist that funding from UN member states for the response efforts be conditioned on meeting these basic requirements to uphold women's rights. Lisa Davis, a human rights attorney with MADRE, said, "During our time in Haiti, we observed a troubling failure by Haitian and UN officials and large non-governmental organizations to adequately address the rampant levels of rape in the camps. Malya's testimony will force this issue into the spotlight, and the UN member states will face the necessary reminder of their responsibility to protect the human rights of women living in the camps." "It is totally unacceptable for these rapes to continue to go unpunished and undeterred," asserted Blaine Bookey, an attorney with IJDH, and coordinator of the delegation. "Women in the camps have suffered enough. The organizations running the camps and the United Nations have raised enough money to provide basic protections to vulnerable women." Erica J. Richards, an attorney with the law firm Morrison & Foerster added that "Not only do our findings from Haiti show that women face a grave lack of security necessary to prevent and respond to the sexual violence crisis, but medical services are overwhelmed and unable to meet women's healthcare needs stemming from the assaults." Yifat Susskind, MADRE Policy and Communications Director, said today, "Malya's testimony has few precedents. Rarely are the voices of displaced women heard by those in the halls of power. The Human Rights Council must seize the opportunity to benefit from her expertise." For more information about MADRE's work in Haiti, visit our website at http://www.madre.org/index/press-room-4/news/key/haiti.html About the Organizations Coordinated by the IJDH-organized Lawyers' Earthquake Response Network (LERN), the delegation to Haiti, met with grassroots women's organizations, including KOFAVIV and FAVILEK, and larger NGOs including Kay Fanm and SOFA. IJDH fights for human rights and justice in Haiti and for fair and just treatment of Haitians in the United States. KOFAVIV, a MADRE sister organization established by and for rape survivors, has long served as a lifeline for countless women who face sexual violence in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they have organized emergency support services for people living in the camps, including medical aid for rape survivors, neighborhood watch patrols and human rights trainings.


iraq
the los angeles timesned parker
the christian science monitor
jane arraf
bloomberg newsnayla razzoukcaroline alexanderxinhuazhang xiangthe new york timesanthony shadidthe washington postleila fadelnprmorning editionlourdes garcia-navarro
abc newsanne barker
sami moubayed
jomana karadsheh
the times of londonoliver august
the telegraph of londondamien mcelroy
bbc newsthe telegraph of londonrichard spencerthe minneapolis star tribunesarah lemagiethe minneapolis city pageshart van denburgfleetwood weekly newsjoni mitchellthe seattle timeshal bernton
mcclatchy newspaperssahar issaalsumaria tv

Idiot of the Week: Diane Rehm

Friday! Finally the weekend! :D

First up, whiner of the week has to be Barry O. Politico's Roger Simon scored an interview with Cry Baby Barack and Politico says they're running that Sunday but today they have an excerpt and Barack's working overtime to blame everyone for his inability to offer leadership on the Gulf Disaster. It's Congress' fault. And it's the Tea Party's fault. It's everyone's fault but Barack's.

Poor whiny ass bitch.

In other They Just Need To Shut Up news, Michael Bloomberg thinks people need to lay off BP. I think Michael Bloomberg needs to get his head examined. Still on BP, this is from Renee Schoof and Marisa Taylor's McClatchy report:

Plans to burn hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil from BP's blown-out well are raising new questions about the health and safety of the thousands of workers on rigs and vessels near the spill site.

BP and the federal government are in new territory once again in dealing with the nation's worst environmental disaster: There's never been such a huge flaring of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, or possibly anywhere.

The incineration of such huge amounts of oil combined with the black clouds of smoke already wafting over the Gulf waters from controlled burns of surface oil create pollution hazards for the estimated 2,000 people working in the area.

Can you believe that? They want to do even more damage. What is wrong with these idiots? I just can't believe it. And speaking of idiots, I only thought I knew the idiot of the week yesterday. See, that's the problem with 'early voting.' You go in, you vote, and then a day later, something else emerges. The idiot of the week is actually [drum roll] Diane Rehm of The Diane Rehm Show on NPR. Rehm does a one hour domestic look each Friday -- news roundup -- and a one hour international one.

Question: Helen Thomas is what?

I know the press has been piling on Helen (I stand with Helen) and making 'sinister' references to her bloodlines but she is an American and was born in this country. So why is Helen Thomas being repeatedly discussed in the international hour for something she said on the White House lawn?

That's bad enough. But even worse is the fact that 2 US soldiers died in an Iraq attack today and Diane -- who had time to trash Helen -- made no time for Iraq. Diane Rehm, you're an idiot.

Two US soldiers die anywhere on a day you're broadcasting and have a 'national' hour and an 'international' hour, you get off you lazy ass and you include it.

I'm so sick of these media bitches who can't make time for Iraq.

They're the whiniest little bitches in the world. And Rhem had three of them on with her to trash Helen Thomas. It was so much fun for the boys to beat up on Helen.

I'm so sick of it.

Diane Rehm, you're the idiot of the week. And, Diane Rehm, you know you said something most people didn't catch a few months ago on your show. It was about Israel and it was so offensive that C.I. was shaking when she was dictating the snapshot and then decided to just pull it out. But I know what you said. And you want to trash Helen Thomas? Old woman, I can dredge up what you said on your own show, live. And it'll outrage the same people who are outraged by Helen. Don't live in a glass house, old woman, cause no one wants to see you in the shower.

Again, I do one idiot of the week. But I voted early yesterday and Diane did such a s**t poor job today that she clearly outdid everyone else this week.

Congrats, Diane.

And I should probably clarify, C.I.'s not outraged by Helen Thomas. C.I.'s written about that at her site. She's noted Helen isn't anti-Jewish, that she knows Helen and that the apology should have been the end of it. If you think what Helen said was offensive, you should have heard what Diane had to say when she had an Arab pundit on with her one day. Diane Rehm needs to step out of her glass house real damn quick. Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Friday, June 11, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, 2 US service members are killed in Iraq, rumors of a plot to kill Ayad Allawi circulate in Iraq, the US Pentagon is on the hunt for WikiLeaks, and more.

On NPR today, The Diane Rehm Show had plenty of time to trash Helen Thomas (including Yochi Dreazen insisting Helen only ever spoke at the White House press briefings to attack Israel -- and not one guest nor Diane bothered to correct him). They just didn't have time for Iraq. No, two sentences of refusing to shoulder the blame for the illegal war they sold -- two sentences from Yochi Dreazen -- does not count as addressing Iraq (especially when even that only came up due to a caller holding the Gang of Useless accountable). No time for Iraq. Good thing nothing happened in Iraq all damn week, right?


Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) report a Diyala Province bombing which has claimed the lives of 2 US soldiers with six more left injured, 6 Iraqis left dead and twenty-two more left injured. Leila Fadel (Washington Post) adds, "Jalawla lies in the restive Diyala province, a mixed region of Shiite Arabs, Sunni Arabs and Kurds that once was one of the most dangerous places in Iraq." The two deaths bring the number of US service members killed in Iraq to 4405. Anthony Shadid (New York Times) provides this context, "The attack was the deadliest on the American military here in more than two months. It was also a grim reminder that while violence has diminished remarkably across Iraq, hundreds of people are still killed each month here. So far this year, 35 American soldiers have died in Iraq in combat or in what the military terms 'non-hostile' incidents." Hannah Allam (McClatchy Newspapers) explains there have been three other attacks on US forces this week, "In the first, a roadside bomb exploded as a U.S. convoy traveled on a highway through predominantly Sunni Anbar province. No casualties were reported, but the blast left a large crater, and a McClatchy reporter at the scene saw a crane lifting a heavily damaged U.S. armored vehicle onto a flatbed truck. American forces cordoned off the area, blocking traffic, and didn't allow even Iraqi security forces near the scene. Later Thursday afternoon, a roadside bomb targeted a U.S. convoy as it headed toward Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said. Iraqi authorities said they had no information on casualties because American forces didn't allow their Iraqi counterparts near the scene. At about 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, just south of Baghdad in Yusifiya, another roadside bomb exploded near U.S. forces. No casualties were reported." Two US service members killed in a bombing in Iraq? Sorry, Diane and NPR had others to cover, important things, trashing an outstanding journalist, for example. What a proud moment for them.

The attackers of Helen missed the violence in Iraq today . . .

Bombings?

Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing claimed 2 lives and left nine people wounded, a second Baghdad roadside bombing injured five people (two were Iraqi soldiers), a Mosul University bombing claimed the life of 1 military officer and, dropping back to yesterday, a Baghdad suicide car bombing claimed the life of the driver and the lives of 1 Sahwa commander, 1 woman, 1 military officer and 1 other man while wounding ten people. Reuters notes a Thursday Tikrit car bombing which claimed 1 life.

Shootings?

Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 police officer shot dead in Mosul. Reuters notes 1 woman was shot dead in Kirkuk last night.

Corpses?

Reuters notes 2 corpses were discovered in Kirkuk.

Fang Yang (Xinhua) observes, "Sporadic attacks and waves of violence continue across Iraq three months after the country held its landmark parliamentary election on March 7, which is widely expected to shape the political landscape of the war-torn country." March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. Three months and two days later, still no government. 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance. Together, the two still lack four seats necessary (or so it is thought) to form the government. Yesterday Muhanad Mohammed (Reuters) reported that the State of Law slate and the Iraqi National Alliance had officially "announced their merger". This morning Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) adds, "It still has to be formally approved by lawmakers when they convene for the first time on June 14." Reuters notes they intend to operate "under a new name, National Alliance, but have yet to resolve differences over their nominee for prime minister". BBC News adds, "The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says that both the Shia and secular-Sunni blocs will now be claiming the right to be asked to form a government. The constitution is unclear on the issue." In other political news, Maad Fayad (Asharq Alawsat Newspaper) reports, "Senior Arab and Iraqi security officials revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat what it described as an 'elaborate plot' to assassinate the head of the Iraqiya List, Iyad Allawi. The sources said that 'local groups are involved in this plot and it is also backed by a regional party'." Meanwhile how much do Iraqi citizens pay their government officials? Guess what? They aren't supposed to know. So much for 'democracy' in Iraq. At Inside Iraq, an Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy notes Al Alam Newspaper has published possible salaries:Iraqi president: About 700,000 USD a year Iraqi Vice presidents: 600,000 USD a year but Iraqi news agencies said that Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi said he receives a One Million USD a month, in total. Prime Minister office said that Al Maliki receives 360,000 USD a year. But some official sources said that the Prime Minister's salary is equal to the Iraqi President's - so they should receive the same salary. Head of the Judiciary council makes about 100,000 USD a month (not clear on allocations).

Sahwa are also known as "Awakenings" and "Sons Of Iraq." They are, as former US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and then-top US commander in Iraq Gen David Petraeus explained to Congress (repeatedly) in April 2008, Sunni fighters who were put on the US payroll so they wouldn't attack US troops and equipment. Actually, Petreaus claimed they were "Shia as well as Sunni" when appearing before Congress on April 8, 2008 and discussing the "over 91,000" "Awakening." He insisted, "These volunteers have contributed significantly in various areas, and the savings in vehicles not lost because of reduced violence -- not to mention the priceless lives saved -- have far outweighed the cost of their monthly contracts." Nouri was supposed to take over payment of them and bring them into the government. Nouri does very little he promises. Over the weekend, he pulled their right to carry firearms in Diayala Province. Salah Hemeid (Al-Ahram Weekly) reports, "Leaders of the Sahwas controlling around 10,000 personnel in Diyala warned that they would stop cooperating with government security forces if their weapon permits and special badges were withdrawn. In other provinces, members of the Sahwas warned that they would not obey if they were ordered to disarm." Late 2005 through 2007 (or often reduced to 2006 and 2007) saw Iraqis attacking other Iraqis on a huge scale and is popularly known as the "civil war." This level of violence dropped as it had to when a large number of Iraqis fled the country or fled their homes to other parts of the country. (A large number? One-sixth of the population. Over four million Iraqis became refugees.) In the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on April 8, 2008, Joe Biden noted, "Violence has come down, but the Iraqis have not come together. Our military played an important role in the violence. So did three other developments. First, the Sunni Awakening, which preceded the surge. Second, the Sadr cease-fire. Third, sectarian cleansing that left much of Baghdad segregated, with fewer targets to shoot or bomb." Joe Biden was then Chair of the Committee. Today he's the US Vice President. And that's changed. But what about the situation he was describing? If the three developments led to a decrease in the violence, what happens when one of the developments is no longer present? Something to think about as Nouri continues his war on the Sahwa.

And as the Iraq War continues -- long after the promise candidate Barack Obama repeatedly made while campaigning for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination -- people begin to ask if it ever ends. Peter Symonds (WSWS) outlines a number of disturbing trends:

In his comments last Friday, General Odierno declared that the "drawdown" was ahead of schedule -- 600,000 containers of gear and 18,000 vehicles moved out; and the number of bases down from 500 last year to 126 and set to decline to 94 by September 1. What is actually underway, however, is not a withdrawal, but a vast consolidation in preparation for the long-term occupation of the country by US forces.
The Stars and Stripes newspaper noted in an article on June 1 that the ratification of the US-Iraq security agreement in November 2008 governing the drawdown was followed by a massive expansion of base construction work. "In all, the military finished $496 million in base construction projects during 2009, the highest annual figure since the war began and nearly a quarter of the $2.1 billion spent on American bases in Iraq since 2004. An additional $323 million worth of projects are set to be completed this year."
While the number of US bases may be declining, the Pentagon is establishing what are known as "enduring presence posts" -- including four major bases: Joint Base Balad in the north, Camp Adder in southern Iraq, Al-Asad Air Base in the west and the Victory Base Complex around Baghdad International Airport. These are sprawling fortified facilities -- Balad alone currently houses more than 20,000 troops. In addition to the 50,000 troops that will remain, there will be up to 65,000 contractors after September 1.Under the 2008 agreement, the US military handed over internal security functions to Iraqi forces last year, but, under the guise of "training" and "support", retains tighter supervision of the army and police. Moreover the Iraqi government can always "request" US troop assistance in mounting operations. As Odierno explained in a letter to US personnel on June 1, even after all US combat troops leave, "we will continue to conduct partnered counter-terrorism operations and provide combat enablers to help the Iraqi Security Forces maintain pressure on the extremist networks."
The 2008 agreement sets December 31, 2011 as the deadline for all US troops to quit Iraq, but the construction of huge new US bases indicates a long-term US military presence under a Strategic Framework Agreement that is yet to be negotiated.

Another one noticing realities is Pentagon Papers whistle blower Daniel Ellsberg and he shares them with Marc Pitzke (Der Spiegel):

Ellsberg: I think Obama is continuing the worst of the Bush administration in terms of civil liberties, violations of the constitution and the wars in the Middle East.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: For example?

Ellsberg: Take Obama's explicit pledge in his State of the Union speech to remove "all" United States troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. That's a total lie. I believe that's totally false. I believe he knows that's totally false. It won't be done. I expect that the US will have, indefinitely, a residual force of at least 30,000 US troops in Iraq.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What about Afghanistan? Isn't that a justifiable war?

Ellsberg: I think that there's an inexcusable escalation in both countries. Thousands of US officials know that bases and large numbers of troops will remain in Iraq and that troop levels and bases in Afghanistan will rise far above what Obama is now projecting. But Obama counts on them to keep their silence as he deceives the public on these devastating, costly, reckless ventures.

Daniel Ellsberg was Scott Horton's guest for yesterday's Antiwar Radio. They're discussing Bradley Manning. Who? Monday April 5th, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7th, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Philip Shenon (Daily Beast) reports the US government is attempting to track down WikiLeaks' Julian Assange: "Pentagon investigators are trying to determine the whereabouts of the Australian-born founder of the secretive website Wikileaks for fear that he may be about to publish a huge cache of classified State Department cables that, if made public, could do serious damage to national security, government officials tell The Daily Beast."

Today WikiLeak's Twitter feed has noted:


Pentagon manhunt for WikiLeaks staff declared: http://bit.ly/cN1Kl8 just say no: http://bit.ly/ctRxAV about 12 hours ago via bitly

Any signs of unacceptable behavior by the Pentagon or its agents towards this press will be viewed dimly. about 12 hours ago via bitly

Debra Sweet (World Can't Wait) notes the real crimes and WikiLeaks:

The Crimes Are Crimes statement has been published in The New York Review of Books, The Nation, and now, will next be placed in The Humanist. You can help spread this message and challenge the conscience of people by signing, donating and printing it out for your community (ask store owners if they will display this poster!).
The more I've shown the 17 minute version of Collateral Murder -- even to seasoned anti-war activists -- the more I see how important it is that people SEE this video.
And the more outrageous it is that a 22 year old Army enlisted man, Bradley Manning, is being charged with leaking the footage to WikiLeaks.org. The war crimes, and criminal acts the whole world can see in this footage are justified and excused by the US government. And a person who they say leaked it is criminally charged?!?
Today the Iraq Inquiry announced that their next set of hearings will "run from 29 June to 30 July 2010, at the QE II conference centre in London" and the following will be witnesses:

*Cathy Adams (Legal Counsellor, Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, 2002 to 2005)
*Geoffrey Adams KCMG (HM Ambassador to Iran, 2006 to 2009)
*Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP (Minister of State for the Armed Forces, 2007 to 2009 Secretary of State for Defence, 2009)
*Andy Bearpack CBE (Director Operations and Infrastructure in the Coalition Provisional Authority, 2003 to 2004)
*Dr Hanx Blix (1st Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, 2000 to 2003)
*Rt Hon The Lord Boateng (Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 2002 to 2005)
*Douglas Brand (OBE) (Chief Police Adviser to the Ministry of Interior, Baghdad, 2003 to 2004)
*Dr Nicola Brewer CMG (Director General Regional Prorammes, Department of International Development, 2002 to 2004)
*Jonathan Cunliffe CB (Managing Director, Financial Regulation & Industry, 2002; Managing Director, Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance, HM Treasury, 2003 to 2007)
*Richard Dalton KCMG (HM Abassadort to Iran, 2003 to 2006)
*General Richard Dannatt GCB CBE ME (Assistant Chief of the General Staff, 2001 to 2002; Commander in Chief Land Command, 2005 to 2006; Chief of the General STaff, 2006 to 2009)
*John Dodds (Team Leader - Defence, Diplomacy and Intelligence; HM Treasury, 2003 to 2005)
*Lt Gen James Dutton CBE (General Officer Commanding Multi National Division - South East - 2005; Deputy Chief of Joint Operations 2007 - 2009)
*Lt Gen Andrew Figgures (Deputy Chief of Defense Staff -- Equipment Capability -- 2006 - 2009)
*Ronnie Flanagan GBE QPM (HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, 2005 - 2008)
*Lt Gen Robert Fulton KBE (Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Equipment Capability 2003 - 2006)
*John Holmes GCVO KBE CMG (HM Ambassador to Paris 2001 - 2007)
*Martin Howard CB (DIrector General Operational Policy MOD 2004- 2007)
*General Mike Jackson GCB CBE DSO DL (Commander in Chief Land Command 2000 - 2003; Chief of the General Staff 2003 - 2006)
*Sally Keeble (Minister of State, Department for International Development 2002 - 2003)
*Paul Kernaghan CBE QPM (International Policing portfolio lead, Association of Chief Police Officers for England, Wales & Northern Ireland, 2001 - 2008)
*Iain Macleod (Legal Counsellor to the United Kingdom's Mission to the United Nations, 2001 - 2004)
*Tom McKane (Director General Resource & Plans, Ministry of Defence, 2002 - 2006)
*Bruce Mann CB (Director General Financial Management, Ministry of Defence 2001 - 2004).
*Manningham Buller DCB (Deputy Director General, Security Service, 2001 - 2002; Director General, Security Service, 2002 - 2007)*Carolyn Miller (Director Europe, Middle East and Americas, Department for International Development, 2001 - 2004)
*General Kevin O'Donoghue KCB CBE (Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Health, 2002 - 2004; Chief of Defence Logistics 2005 - 2007; Chief of Defence Material 2007 - 2009)
*Rt Hon John Prescott (First Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister, to 2007)
*Carne Ross (First Secretary, United Kingdom Mission to New York, 1998 - 2002)
*Maj Gen Andy Salmon CMG OBE (General Officer Commanding Multi National Division South East, 2008 -2009)
*Michael Wareing CMG (Prime Minister's Envoy for Reconstruction in Souther Iraq and Chairman of the Basra Development Commission, 2007 - 2009)
*Stephen White OBE (Directof of Law and Order and Senior Police Adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority, 2003 - 2004)
*Vice Adm Peter Wilkinson CVO (Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Personnel, 2007 to present)
*Trevor Wooley CB (Director General Resources & Plans, Ministry of Defence, 1998 - 2002; Financial Director, Ministry of Defence, 2003 - 2009)

The Iraq Inquiry is Chaired by John Chilcot and they believe a report will be completed by year's end and that there might also be a round of hearings in the fall. Chris Ames (Iraq Inquiry Digest) observes, "Hans Blix is the headline name and there are some other witnesses who might not toe the government line." Though Blix should offer some very interesting testimony, he's not the only name of interest on the list. For example, Carne Ross will probably pull in a number of the press when he testifies. A 2008 Time magazine profile by Jumana Farouky opened with:

As Carne Ross talks about how he resigned from the British Foreign Office in 2004 after Britain's decision to go to war in Iraq proved more than he could abide in a frustrating 15-year diplomatic career, the phone rings. "That'll be Kosovo," Ross says. Probably calling to say thanks.

A 2006 report by Colin Brown and Andy McSmith (Independent of London) on the push for the Iraq War noted:

A devastating attack on Mr Blair's justification for military action by Carne Ross, Britain's key negotiator at the UN, has been kept under wraps until now because he was threatened with being charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act.
In the testimony revealed today Mr Ross, 40, who helped negotiate several UN security resolutions on Iraq, makes it clear that Mr Blair must have known Saddam Hussein possessed no weapons of mass destruction. He said that during his posting to the UN, "at no time did HMG [Her Majesty's Government] assess that Iraq's WMD (or any other capability) posed a threat to the UK or its interests."
Mr Ross revealed it was a commonly held view among British officials dealing with Iraq that any threat by Saddam Hussein had been "effectively contained".

Click here for the BBC video of Carne Ross explaining how the Inquiry should have questioned Tony Blair. Chris Ames has covered the Iraq Inquiry forever and a day -- and on the issues at the heart of the inquiry before Gordon Brown was even agreeing to allow a commission. Iraq Inquiry Digest is Chris Ames' site (his writing appears at the Guardian, The New Statesman and other outlets). At the Guardian today, he takes on Nick Clegg:

In opposition, Nick Clegg had some harsh criticism for the way that Gordon Brown's government restricted the ability of the Iraq inquiry to uncover the truth. Clegg's appointment as deputy prime minister seemed to promise a new attitude of openness and at the weekend he seemed to be promising to put this into practice. In particular, he promised that the inquiry will only be prevented from publishing documents for reasons of national security. But it looks as if nothing is going to change any time soon, if at all.
What Clegg said the Hay festival on Sunday -- as Today programme listeners will have heard this morning -- was true as far as it went, but his language about how to solve the problem is intriguing. He said that the inquiry's openness would be the key to determining its legitimacy and: "The battle that needs to be fought is to make sure in the final Chilcot report the presumption is towards real, meaningful, thorough disclosure." He added that "the challenge is to make sure there is real disclosure when they publish their findings." But Nick, you are the deputy prime minister. It's up to you.

The Guardian's Richard Norton-Taylor has been covering the Inquiry at length as well and he reviews the witness list and emphasizes Eliza Manningham-Buller who "told the Guardian last year that she had warned ministers and officials that an invasion of Iraq would increase the terrorist threat. Amid Anglo-US preparations to invade Iraq, she asked: 'Why now?'"


In the United States, the Arlington National Cemetery scandal continues to garner (deserved) attention. Richard Sisk (New York Daily News) sums it up very well in two sentences, "They didn't arrive at Arlington National Cemetery as unknown soldiers. The Army just treated them that way." Julian E. Barnes (Los Angeles Times) offers this overview, "The inspector general, Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, found one case involving personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. In that instance, two grave markers had been switched. Other cases involved areas of the cemetery used to inter personnel from earlier conflicts. [. . .] The extent of the problems at one of the nation's most venerated memorials was not entirely clear. In some cases, grave markers had been knocked over and not properly replaced, the report said. Other reported cases involved poor record-keeping. Whitcomb said there was no indication of mistakes at the point of burial." Michael E. Ruane (Washington Post) adds, "The investigators found that these and other blunders were the result of a 'dysfunctional' and chaotic management system at the cemetery, which was poisoned by bitterness among top supervisors and hobbled by antiquated record-keeping." Those looking for a strong audio report on the story should refer to The Takeaway where Salon's Mark Benjamin is one of the guests and Dorothy Nolte (her sister is buried into Arlington Cemetery).

TV notes. On PBS' Washington Week, John Dickerson (CBS News, Slate), Alexis Simendinger (National Journal) and Karen Tumulty (Washington Post) join Gwen around the table. This week, Bonnie Erbe will sit down with Jehan Harney, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Melinda Henneberger, Tara Setmayer and Genevieve Wood on the latest broadcast of PBS' To The Contrary to discuss the week's events. And at the website each week, there's an extra just for the web from the previous week's show and this week's online bonus is on drilling for oil. And turning to broadcast TV, Sunday CBS' 60 Minutes offers:
Cyber WarCould hackers get into the computer systems that run crucial elements of the world's infrastructure, such as the power grids, water works or even a nation's military arsenal, to create havoc? They already have. Steve Kroft reports. | Watch Video
The Great ExplorerRobert Ballard discovered the Titanic, the Bismarck and the PT 109 and now 60 Minutes cameras are there for his latest discovery, 1,500 feet down in the Aegean Sea off Turkey. Lara Logan reports. | Watch Video
60 Minutes, Sunday, June 13, at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Radio. Today on The Diane Rehm Show (airs on most NPR stations and streams live online beginning at 10:00 am EST), Diane is joined the first hour (domestic news roundup) by Byron York (Washington Examiner), David Corn (Mother Jones) and Dayo Olopade (Daily Beast). For the second hour (international), she's joined by Yochi Dreazen (Wall St. Journal), Roy Gutman (McClatchy Newspapers) and Abderrahim Foukara (Al Jazeera).


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the new york timesanthony shadid
mcclatchy newspapershannah allem
sahar issa
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bloomberg newscaroline alexanderpress tval-ahram weeklysalah hemeidinside iraqmcclatchy newspapers
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the new york daily newsrichard siskthe los angeles timesjulian e. barnesthe washington postmichael e. ruane
antiwar radioscott hortondaniel ellsberg
the guardianchris ameswswspeter symonds
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