Idiot of the week comes early?

Wednesday.  The petition?  I signed it.  I have e-mails asking me.  My mom's name is on there but my signature's not showing up yet.  If it doesn't show up by tomorrow morning, I'll go ahead and sign it again.

The petition is calling on Women's Media Center and Ms. magazine to cover the presidential campaigns of Roseanne Barr and Jill Stein.  This is really important.  This is about this election, yes.  But in 2016, there'll be another woman, maybe many, running for president and it's time that the press started covering the races and not just their favorites.  So this is about moving those two outlets into the modern day and telling them the past is no longer acceptable.

This petition is about helping all.  If Ms, for example, blogged about Jill and Roseanne's campaign twice a week -- just twice a week -- that would make a huge dent and bring us closer towards real coverage of the races and not a monopoly like what we see now.

The week is young but I may be able to call Idiot of the Week already.

Dave Lindorff.  Why?  Because he's wack-job crazy.  Dear Lord, have you read his latest column.

It's the crack pot ravings of Dave where he attempts to pretend -- like the idiot Harry Reid did -- that he knows something.  He knows nothing but that doesn't stop him from tarring and feathering Romney as a law breaker.

No where in his idiotic column does Dave ever once appear to grasp that McCain and the others didn't release what the press is now claiming.  Mitt's actions are fairly standard.

But how they love to lie and lie.

I am so glad that I'm not voting Democrat this year and that I'm not voting Republican.  It allows you to just sit back and see to what degree people will go to whore themselves for politicians -- and most politicians are nothing but whores anyway.  So you got people like Dave Lindorff whoring for whores.  Is that not ridiculous?

Sign the petition to cleanse your soul of all the campaign whoring out there.


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

Wednesday, August 22, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, Iraq's fugitive president remains out of the country, the Minister of Oil is accused of hiring a thousand of his own relatives, Camp Liberty's a nightmare according to a former UN human rights workers, a new petition calls on Women's Media Center and Ms. magazine, and more.   So many wars, let's start with the Drone War before moving onto Iraq.  Brenda Norrell (Narco News) reports:   President Obama's Tuesday kill list is responsible for the assassination of a 16-year-old boy from Denver, Medea Benjamin of CodePink said here today. Describing the US program of targeted assassinations using drones, the CIA out of control, and the US Congress refusing to act, Benjamin said it is time for US citizens to show the world they do not support US drone assassinations in Pakistan and elsewhere. Benjamin called for citizens in Tucson to join the march with Pakistanis in northern Pakistan, during the week of September 21, and show the world that the people of the US seek global peace and understanding, and do not support US drone killings.   Now we'll move over to Iraq where the political crisis continues to grip the country.   What does it say about a country when the president is out of the country for over two months?  Back on June 16th, I wrote:   As Iraq explodes, President Jalal Talabani continues to shrink.  Alsumaria reports that he's written an indignant letter to Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi, Iraqiya head Ayad Allawi and KRG President Massoud Barazni in which he belittles Moqtada al-Sadr and in which he insists he'd rather resign than change his opinion and forward the petition with 176 signatures to Parliament (the petition calls for a no-confidence vote on Nouri).  Poor overweight Jalal.  Last month, he'd pictured himself getting his arteries cleaned in the US and the pigging out on Philly Cheesesteaks.   Now his image is in tatters, his political party PUK has asked him to lower his profile (his weakness is hurting the party) and he's been told not to leave the country.  Back on April 28th, he talked big to Moqtada, Allawi and Barzani.  He swore that he could remove Nouri as prime minister all by his lonesome.  Then Nouri did a little pressue, the US did a little pressure, and like a cheap belt, Jalal buckled.  Next year the KRG holds provincial elections.  The PUK is furious with Jalal for his decision not to forward the petition.  It's made Massoud Barzani even more popular in the KRG, it's made him look even more like a leader and Jalal look even weaker and more ineffectual.  (The two main parties in the KRG are the Jalal's PUK and Barzani's KDP.  In the last years, Goran has emerged as a third party.  PUK officials fear that they are losing power not to Barzani's KDP but to the emerging Goran as a result of Jalal's embarrassing moves.)   And I was wrong because I thought when you're told not to leave the country, you don't leave the country.  But the very next day, June 17th, we were noting, "He's not very popular of late.  Not even with his own political party.  So it probably wasn't smart of him to head for Germany today, as Alsumaria reports.  Especially after he'd been instructed not to leave the country until the political crisis was settled."   It is August 22nd and Jalal's still not made it back to Iraq.  People talk about Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi being a fugitive, but Jalal appears to be the one.  For those who've forgotten, as Jalal was being mocked for leaving the country, his office wanted Iraq to know that he had to leave because he needed a life altering surgery, he was at risk.  Apparently of tipping over because that 'important' surgery turned out to be knee surgery.  He had elective surgery.  It could have waited.    But he used it to bail on Iraq.  In 2011, Iraq had three vice presidents and one president-- and all were in the country.  Right now it has one vice president in the country and that's it.  Jalal really thinks this is how to be president?  Hiding out in Germany?     The very optimistic Iraq Updates insists today that Jalal "will return home soon and first meet with Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani [. . .]"  For those who've forgotten how Jalal ticked off a large portion of Iraqis, it was when he stabbed his colleagues in the back.  Jalal was present at the end of April meeting with Moqtada al-Sadr, Iraqiya's Ayad Allawi, Massoud Barzani and others and Jalal was on board for the no-confidence vote in Parliament on Nouri.  Signatures were collected.  More than enough.  But Jalal began disallowing signatures at the last minute and declared that they weren't valid and the vote couldn't go forward.  Yes, they were valid.    And Jalal stuck his own big ass further in the fire this month when, attempting to shine his tawdry image, he spoke to Nakhel News about why he halted the no-confidence vote.  Jalal gave five reasons.  None had to do with signatures.  He never even raised the issue of signatures.  His reasons included not wanting to go against the Shi'ites (and feeling Moqtada was but one voice) and assurances he'd personally received regarding the Erbil Agreement.  He's begun to make another call for a national conference to address the nation's political crisis.  (He and Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi began making the call December 21st.)  Buratha News notes he wants all the political blocs to take part.  Jalal's renewed call takes place as Fryad Mohammed (AKnews) reports that the Kurdistan Islamic Union's Najib Abdullah is stating that the ground work for such a meeting has still not been done   From the failing president to the corruption, Rebin Hassan (AKnews) reports that Parliament's Oil and Gas Committe has discovered that, since 2003, $27 billion (in US dollars) "have been spent on the electricity sector in Iraq" and his with no progress to show for it leading MP Qasim Mohammed to declare, "There is huge corruption in the electricity sector in Iraq."  With all the money spent, Iraqis still do not have dependable electricity and most make do with 6 or so hours a day.  Minister of Electricity is a post with a huge turnover rate.  Let's just note the last two years.  In June of 2010, CNN was reporting on the resignation of Karim Waheed as a result of protests.  Aseel Kami (Reuters) reported in August of 2011 on the resignation of Raad Shallal's resignation -- he was the Minister of Electricity who stepped down due to what were called fake contracts.  Buratha News reports that social media rumors (and documents) attest to the current Minister Abdul Karim Aftan hiring 1,000 relatives to work for the Ministry.  All Iraq News adds that a member of Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc in Parliament is stating that the Minister will be questioned before Parliament shortly.       Turning to some of today's violence,  All Iraq News reports a Mosul home invasion resulted in the death of one woman who was shot to death.  Alsumaria reports that 1 man was shot dead in Dhuluiya and they note a Diyalal Province bombing injured two Iraqi soldiers.  Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 336 people killed in violence so far this month in Iraq.   Though the election law for next year's provincial elections still hasn't been settled, AKnews reports that Diyala Province plans to elect a governor next Saturday.  This is due to the death of the previous governor.  Saturday Alsumaria reported that Diyala Province Govenor Hashim Hayali  has died in what was called a traffic accident in Baquba. All Iraq News reported that his wife also died in the accident and noted that he had previously survived an April 21st assassination attempt.  He had been governor for less than a year.  AFP says his wife and two daughters are injured while his son died.  All Iraq News notes he had been governor for five months and was a member of the National Accord Front which is part of the Iraqiya slate.     US General Martin Dempsey visited Iraq yesterday.  The US Embassy in Baghdad issued the following statement on the visit: The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey visited Baghdad on August 21, 2012.  He met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials to discuss regional and security issues, including the situation in Syria.  General Dempsey also met with U.S. Embassy officials, including Charge d'Affaires Stephen Beecroft and members of the Embassy's Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq. General Dempsey's visit is part of the United States' efforts under the Strategic Framework Agreement to support Iraq's continued development as a strategic partner that contributes to peace and security as a leader in the region.  Dempsey did not meet with the the US Ambassador to Iraq because there is no US Ambassador to Iraq.  All Iraq News notes that Dempsey's visit is the highest ranking official visit of 2012.  Of the US Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, RTT reports, "More than 225 U.S. troops, seven Defense Department civilians, 530 security assistance team members and more than 4,000 contracted personnel are currently in the office at the Iraqi government's invitation."     Ashish Kumar Sen (Washington Times) reports  on the assertions by the former human rights chief for UNAMI that conditions at Camp Liberty are as bad as the residents have been saying. Camp Liberty is a former US military base (often referred to in the press as Camp Hurriyah).  Nouri and the US want Iranian dissidents from Camp Ashraf relocated there. Approximately 3,400 people were at Camp Ashraf when the US invaded Iraq in 2003.  They were Iranian dissidents who were given asylum by Saddam Hussein decades ago.  The US government authorized the US military to negotiate with the residents.  The US military was able to get the residents to agree to disarm and they became protected persons under Geneva and under international law. Despite that legal status and the the legal obligation on the part of the US government to protect the residents, since Barack Obama has been sworn in as US president, Nouri has ordered not one but two attacks on Camp Ashraf resulting in multiple deaths.  Let's recap.  July 28, 2009 Nouri launched an attack (while then-US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was on the ground in Iraq). In a report released this summer entitled "Iraqi government must respect and protect rights of Camp Ashraf residents," Amnesty International described this assault, "Barely a month later, on 28-29 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed into the camp; at least nine residents were killed and many more were injured. Thirty-six residents who were detained were allegedly tortured and beaten. They were eventually released on 7 October 2009; by then they were in poor health after going on hunger strike." April 8, 2011, Nouri again ordered an assault on Camp Ashraf (then-US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was again on the ground in Iraq when the assault took place). Amnesty International described the assault this way, "Earlier this year, on 8 April, Iraqi troops took up positions within the camp using excessive, including lethal, force against residents who tried to resist them. Troops used live ammunition and by the end of the operation some 36 residents, including eight women, were dead and more than 300 others had been wounded. Following international and other protests, the Iraqi government announced that it had appointed a committee to investigate the attack and the killings; however, as on other occasions when the government has announced investigations into allegations of serious human rights violations by its forces, the authorities have yet to disclose the outcome, prompting questions whether any investigation was, in fact, carried out." Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observes that "since 2004, the United States has considered the residents of Camp Ashraf 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons' under the Geneva Conventions." For months, the claims of Camp Liberty not being fit to be a refugee center have been dismissed in the press.  Bomedra is stating that he resigned from his post after he grasped that UNAMI's purpose was to provide cover for Camp Liberty.  He states that Nouri had no respect for international human rights standards and that raising that reality to the UN Secretary-General's Special Enovy in Iraq Martin Kobler resulted in ridicule.  He also states Kobler "misled [the U.N.] headquarters in New York" regarding Camp Liberty. Kobler most recently provided public testimony to the United Nations Security Council on July 19th.  This is what he said on the topic of Camp Ashraf:   UN Special Envoy Martin Kobler:  Finally, Mr. President, I still remain very concerned by the lack of progress in resolving the issue of Camp Ashraf. 2,000 residents of Camp Ashraf have relocated to Camp Hurriyah [Liberty] in the last months.  Approximately 1,200 remain in Camp Ashraf.  The several deadlines set by the government of Iraq have been extended. I thank the government of Iraq for their flexibility in this regard and I appeal to the Iraqi authorities to continue the process to resolve the relocation peacefully. Our committment is strictly humanitarian, to facilitate a voluntary, temporary relocation of residents to Camp Hurriyah as the first step of resettlement to countries outside of Iraq; however, the success of a facilitator depends at least on good will. Their can be no facilitation without constructive and practical dialogue.  We are faced with three main challenges.  First, recent weeks have witnessed difficulties in maintaining dialogue between UNAMI and the residents and between the residents and the government of Iraq reinforcing a perception that the residents lack genuine will to participate in the process faciliated by UNAMI.  Second, responsiblity also falls on the many international supporters.  It is of great importance that they contribute to positively influence the residents' position.  And third, to  date almost no memeber-state has stepped forward to offer resettlement to eligible, former Ashraf residents.  There must be a way out of Hurriyah in the foreseeable future.  Without prospect for resettlement, the ongoing process runs the risk of collapsing.  The tempoary transit location at Camp Hurriyah has the capacity to accomodate the remaining 1,200 residents and meets acceptable humanitarian standards.  Both UNAMI and UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] have devoted substantial energy and resources to resolving this issue.  More than 100 staff are dedicated to the project in the meantime.  I appeal to the government of Iraq to be generous -- particularly in terms of humanitarian needs like water and electricity and to avoid violence under any circumstances.  I also appeal to camp residents to abide by Iraqi laws and avoid provocation and violence.  Time is running out to find a sustainable solution.  The government's patience is wearing thin. I would therefore like to echo the Secretary-General and urge Camp Ashraf residents to cooperate with the Iraqi authorities and to relocate from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriyah.  It is also imperative that third countries step forward to accept eligible residents for resettlement as soon as possible without which there can be no durable solution.    In the United States, four women make up two presidential tickets, but you might not know that due to lack of covearge.  The four:   Jill Stein has the Green Party's presidential nomination and her running mate is Cheri Honkala and  Roseanne Barr has the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party and her running mate is Cindy Sheehan.  Both tickets have gotten some mainstream press.  Know what they haven't received?   Attention from Ms. magazine's blog (or 'magazine') or Women's Media Center.   Now in 2008, we used the snapshot and space at Third and Ava and I worked the phones and between all that and the work of other women as well, we were finally able to guilt WMC into doing one article on Cynthia McKinney.  That was their 'gift' to women.  One article.  Cynthia was running for president on the Green Party ticket and her running mate was Rosa Clemente.  And WMC could only do one article on Cynthia.  (None on Rosa.)  As lousy as that is, it's one more than Ms. or it's Feminist Wire Daily managed.      Every day it's about how can they advance the Democratic Party.  It's not about informing, it's not about reporting, it's not about journalism.   It's whoring.  They're very good whores.  It's a shame they don't want to be something more than a whore but I guess their own self-images are so poor that when casting themselves in the story of their lives, they decided the whore was the only role they'd be believable in.   Here's a little hint for them both: Fundraisers only have worked in the past because women have believed you're about women.  When you've got feminists like Roseanne and Jill and they're both running to be president of the United States and you're not covering it, you make it so very easy for all of us to stop donating to you. So maybe this is how Ms. magazine finally dies?  Revealed to be nothing now but a shallow and whore for the patriarchy, the magazine finally goes down?  If so, it's no great loss.  It was supposed to be a monthly and for obvious reasons couldn't pull that off.  (Obvious reasons do not include lack of stories.  Obvious reasons does include a failure to cover the feminist movement out of fear of upsetting some men.)  If you missed our "No, really, who is Gloria?" (byline "This was written by Ava, C.I., Ann, Elaine, Betty, Ruth and Marcia." ) and the counter-argument "The accomplishments of Gloria Steinem?" (Ava and myself) at Third Sunday, I'm not in the damn mood for any of this crap anymore.  You either start covering women or admit that you're not feminists.  When two women are running for president and you're not covering it, you're not a feminist press.  You can lie -- and we know you can whore -- all you want, you're not a feminist press.  Elaine argued last night "Real feminists go third party" and that's a valid point.  But I don't care who you endorse or if you endorse.  My point is that women who have their own outlet for women but don't cover Jill and Roseanne ought to be ashamed of themselves.  You're disgusting and drowning in your own self-hatred -- sadly, not drowing quick enough so we all have to suffer from your craving for male approval.   Again, I'm not in the damn mood. If you're also tired of the crap? This petition is calling for the two outlets to cover the two runs. Rebecca started it.  Thank you, Rebecca.     Chris Faraone (Boston Phoenix) offers a piece on Jill Stein's campaign and platform:'   Despite my initial prejudices, it took just one read through Stein's "Green New Deal for America" to flip me into a wholehearted endorser. That's how this turned from a hatchet job into a mash note -- probably one of the only Jill Stein puff pieces you'll ever read. But hell, it's necessary -- someone has to call attention to how Stein stands apart from the pack. While big-tent sleazeballs gorge on loot from predatory lenders, for example, she calls for restoring the Glass-Steagall separation of commercial and investment banks. As for extra bona fides, the doctor has experience hitting Mitt Romney, having run against him for governor of Massachusetts 10 years ago. Sure, she lost, badly -- but not before she used her debate platform to condemn "tax loopholes for the wealthiest five percent," and to contend that financiers have no place in public office. In other words: Stein has spent the past decade hammering inequities that the increasingly broke public claims it wants corrected. Presidentially speaking, Stein is no joke. She's a highly intelligent and experienced organizer, not to mention a Harvard alum, like her big-party opponents. Among other sensible ideas, Stein wants to abolish the Electoral College, repeal the Patriot Act, and cut military spending in half -- ideas that so-called progressives seem to wholeheartedly embrace in non-election years only. With that in mind, here's a conscience call to anyone who has enough courage to put their ballot -- and perhaps their volunteer time -- where their mouth is.   Kevin Gostzola is a reporter who's distinguished himself by, among other things, being one of the few reporters who is covering the Bradley Manning case.  He spoke with Dr. Stein for Firedoglake's Dissenter and here's an excerpt:   KEVIN GOSZTOLA, The Dissenter: Let's begin with you talking a bit about your background and, specifically, I'd like you to talk about your work as an activist, because I think that is something unique or exceptional that you bring to the presidential race. JILL STEIN, Green Party Presidential Candidate: The American people are clearly clamoring for something real out there in this political system that has become so disconnected from what real everyday Americans are struggling with and the solutions we are clamoring. So, I think the fact that our campaign is not bought and paid for by Wall Street, the fact that we are every day real people who struggle on behalf on those things that are critical to the American public is why we are getting the resonance that we are. My background—I'm trained as a medical doctor and I became active, both from my perspective as a health care provider but from my perspective as a mother, looking at generations of young people struggling with chronic diseases they shouldn't have. This epidemic of asthma, learning disabilities, obesity, diabetes, cancer, autism—you name it. I said to myself, our genes didn't change overnight. These were new diseases twenty years ago in young people. And I said, our genes didn't change. Something's going on at the level of our communities, and I became tired of pushing pills on people and sending them back out to the very same things that were making them sick, so I became involved in community efforts to make our communities healthy and to take them back and make them work for the people who live there, not the multinational corporations who profit from them and exploit them. And I began to work to close down our polluting incinerators and to create jobs through recycling programs or to clean up and implode our coal plants and create jobs in weatherization, conservation and renewable energy. I thought, well surely if our legislators knew we could save lives, money and create jobs they would throw their support behind this kind of thing. As your typical activist, it took me about ten years to see this was just a game we play to keep the discontented busy spinning their wheels while the relentless exploitive economy continues to turn its wheels. In fact, we've only been accelerating in the wrong direction. I should mention that I became involved then in getting the money out of politics, thinking that seemed to be the problem. Let's get the money out that bribes our elected officials legally to do the wrong thing. And, I joined a large coalition here in Massachusetts to pass public financing for elections. We passed it in a referendum by a two-to-one margin and the nearly solidly Democratic legislature -- about eighty-five percent Democratic -- promptly began to fight the law and within a year or so had repealed it. At that point, it became clear to me if we want the jobs we need or the health care we deserve and all the rest, we need to change the sick political system in order to fix everything else that ails us. So now I say I am practicing political medicine, when people ask me what I am doing, because it is the mother of all illnesses and we got to fix this one in order to fix everything else that is literally and figuratively killing us. And I don't just mean our health but our economy, our jobs, our civil liberties, our democracy, our health care system. That's basically a long way of saying I'm here as a mother, above all, really concerned about the direction that we have taken under this predatory political system that is bought and paid for by Wall Street. And in my own experience, I found if we're going to change it, it's not just changing one law. It's not just simply finding a nice person within a sick system that will prevent them from doing the right thing, even if they wanted to, but we really need fundamental system change. So, that's why I am working with the Green Party.     Frederick Melo (Pioneer Press) reports Jill and running mate Cherie Honkala will be in the Twin cities tomorrow to film campaign ads and get the word out on the Green New Deal for America.     For immediate release August 22, 2012 Sacramento, CA   Contact: Cres Vellucci Press Secretary for Barr/Sheehan 2012 civillib@comcast.net   According to a piece in NBCNEWS.com titled: "'No one really cares': US deaths in Afghanistan hit 2,000 in forgotten war," the death toll of US troops in Afghanistan has now surpassed 2000 under the watch of President Barack Obama and 80,000 troops still languish in the quagmire. The presidential ticket for the Peace and Freedom Party, Roseanne Barr and Cindy Sheehan, wishes to express deep condolences to the families of the needlessly killed troops and the people of the Af/Pak region that have been devastated by almost 12 years of war. "It's not true that 'no one cares,' we passionately care about ending US military involvement overseas to bring the world to peace," said VP candidate Cindy Sheehan, from her home in Vacaville, California.  Sheehan continued, "I am the only candidate in this race that personally knows the tragedy of war . . . the never-ending mourning for a son that won't return and while Roseanne and I agree the economy is a pressing issue, ending the money-pit of US empire will also bring a boon to our national economic stagnation."   The presidential ticket of Barr/Sheehan has been greatly encouraged that campaign events have been packed by people who also see immediate peace as an imperative issue in the 2012 presidential race even though the two capitalist war paries are trying to avoid the issue of the endless wars at all cost.   The Platform of the Peace and Freedom Party includes a very aggressive plank for world peace:   Peace and International Justice The drive for greater profits by multi-national corporations which direct U.S. foreign policy is a major cause of war. We stand for peace between nations and the right of all peoples to self-determination. We support an ongoing socialist transformation everywhere. We therefore call for: The U.S. to renounce nuclear first strike, and take the initiative toward global disarmament by eliminating all of its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. No U.S. intervention anywhere. End all support and aid to repressive regimes and all military and police training aid everywhere. End efforts to destabilize foreign governments. End U.S.-directed economic warfare against other countries. Abolish the CIA, NSA, AID and other agencies for interference inother countries' internal affairs. Withdraw all U.S. troops and weapons from all other countries. Stop all U.S. arms exports and trade. Dissolve all military pacts. Convert from military to peaceful production; reallocate the resulting "peace dividend" for social benefit. Abolish the Selective Service System. No weapons in space.       iraq the washington times ashish kumar sen al mada alsumaria

He lets another fat cat walk

Tuesday.  First things first, Rebecca and C.I. have a petition that I hope you'll put your name to.  I haven't read it yet! :D  I'm sorry they just did it.  It's calling on Women's Media Center and Ms. magazine to cover the presidential runs of Roseanne Barr and Jill Stein.

You have two women running for president and these outlets can't write one word about it.  Despite allegedly being feminist outlets.  So the petition is to (a) encourage them to do so and (b) make sure it's obvious if they don't that they have refused to cover two women running for president.


I don't get that and would like it if someone could explain it to me.

Supposedly WMC and Ms. are feminist outlets.  But here are two strong women with two runs for president and these two outlets aren't even interested in covering the runs?

I thought there was supposed to be a sisterhood.

Maybe they wouldn't vote for either woman, but they would certainly cover the women, right?

Wrong obviously.

I guess they're too busy whoring for the Democratic Party to offer equal coverage.

Meanwhile the man they whore for is letting another fat cat crook off the hook.  Barry Grey (WSWS) reports:


The New York Times published a front-page article on August 16 reporting that the US Justice Department is preparing to end a ten-month criminal investigation into the collapse of the Wall Street brokerage firm MF Global without charging the company or any of its employees.
This is despite what the Times called the “disappearance” of some $1 billion in customer money that emerged when the firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last October 31. MF Global raided clients’ accounts in an attempt to meet margin calls in the days leading up to its collapse. The newspaper reports that $175 million of this stolen money went to JPMorgan Chase.
The failure of the firm, on the other hand, left “farmers and other customers out millions,” according to the Times report.
Nevertheless, the company and its former chairman and CEO Jon Corzine are likely to be given a free pass by the government. The Times cited “people involved in the case who spoke on condition of anonymity,” making clear that news of the government whitewash had been deliberately leaked, presumably in an effort to prepare public opinion and dampen popular outrage.
The Times is no doubt also motivated by concerns over the impact on the Obama reelection campaign of yet another official cover-up of Wall Street criminality, given that Corzine is a former Democratic senator and governor of New Jersey and a top fundraiser for the Obama campaign. He hosted Obama’s first reelection fund-raising event at his Fifth Avenue apartment overlooking Central Park in Manhattan.


Can you believe that?

Me neither.

I can't believe it one damn bit.  And I'm no Barack groupie.

But even I'm shocked by yet another fat cat walking away without charges. 


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

Tuesday, August 21, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, more troops will go to Kuwait at the end of the year, Gen Martin Dempsey goes to Baghdad, (and) gets lectured by Nouri, Mitt Romney's campaign appears asleep at the wheel, and more.

 

John Luciew (Patriot-News) reports on a send-off ceremony at Fort Indiantwon Gap for approximately 100 Pennsylvania National Guard troops who are headed to Afghanistan, "The National Anthem played through stereo speakers that made the song sound muffled, not the big, booming ode to a nation that we've come to know.  Even the commanders who rose to give the speeches seemed subdued.  Perhaps, it's from the repetition. A spokesman said the Pennsylvania National Guard is nearing its 30,000th service members deployments since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And there are more to come.  The next year will see another 2,000 make their way overseas, most likely to Afghanistan, the destination for this deployment, and Kuwait, Iraq's next-door neighbor."  Dropping back to the June 19th snapshot:

 

Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released [PDF format warning] "The Gulf Security Architecture: Partnership With The Gulf Co-Operation Council." On page v., Senator John Kerry, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, notes, "Home to more than half of the world's oil reserves and over a third of its natural gas, the stability of the Persian Gulf is critical to the global economy."  Chair John Kerry has stated of the report, "The Gulf Region is strategically important to the United States economically, politically, and for security reasons.  This is a period of historic, but turbulent change in the Middle East. We need to be clear-eyed about what these interests are and how best to promote them.  This report provides a thoughtful set of recommendations designed to do exactly that."

 [. . .]

Page nine of the report:

 

 

A residual American military presence in the Gulf and increased burden-sharing with GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] states are fundamental components of such a framework. However, the United States must also carefully shape its military footprint to protect the free-flow of critical natural resources and promote regional stability while not creating a popular backlash.

 

 

Page 12:

 

 

Kuwait is especially keen to maintain a significant U.S. military presence. In fact, the Kuwaiti public perception of the United States is more positive than any other Gulf country, dating back to the U.S.-led liberation of Kuwait in 1991. Kuwait paid over $16 billion to compensate coalition efforts for costs incurred during Desert Shield and Desert Storm and $350 million for Operation Southern Watch. In 2004, the Bush Administration designated Kuwait a major non-NATO ally.

* U.S. Military Presence: A U.S.-Kuwaiti defense agreement signed in 1991 and extended in 2001 provides a framework that guards the legal rights of American troops and promotes military cooperation. When U.S. troops departed Iraq at the end of 2011, Kuwait welcomed a more enduring American footprint. Currently, there are approximately 15,000 U.S. forces in Kuwait, but the number is likely to decrease to 13,500. Kuwaiti bases such as Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Field, and Camp Buehring offer the United States major staging hubs, training rages, and logistical support for regional operations. U.S. forces also operate Patriot missile batteries in Kuwait, which are vital to theater missile defense.

 

 

Yes, despite Barack Obama's claims otherwise, all US troops did not come home.  Nor are they coming home anytime soon.  But the shell game has always been a popular short-con because it's so easy to move things around and distract people.

 

Adam Schreck (AP) reports the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin Dempsey met with officials today in Baghdad.   Al Manar quotes Dempsey stating, "We still retain significant investment and significant influence.  But now it's on the basis of a partnership and not on the basis of ownership."   The quote comes from an interview he gave to AFP's Dan De Luce.  Now its a partnership and not ownership?  When did the US own Iraq?  I know what Dempsey's trying to say.  I also know what he said.  And the plane had barely touched down, Alsumaria reports, before State of Law MP Mohammed Chihod was stating that the Iraqi forces are able to thwart plots against Iraq and that they do not need the US or any other country.  State of Law is Nouri's political slate.  And they're not smart.  They're sort of the rejects of Iraq.  All the better Shi'ites went to other groups.  This could have been a day when State of Law yet again looked ridiculous on the world stage but then Dempsey had to start using "ownership" to describe the US relationship with Iraq? 

 

 

 

The Defense Dept notes that Dempsey was scheduled to meet with US Lt Gen Robert Caslen (chief of the Office of Security Cooperation Iraq) and Nouri al-Maliki.  Alsumaria reports that he made nice with Nouri in a meeting in which Nouri demanded that the pace of supplying arms to Iraqi forces -- to protect, land, water and air -- must be accelerated.  There's an agreement, Nouri stated, the Strategic Framework Agreement, and they are monitoring the US' ability to complete what was agreed upon.  AFP's De Luce notes, "The four-star general said he would not press the Iraqi government on reports that it may be allowing Iran to ferry supplies to the Syrian regime through Iraqi territory or helping Tehran circumvent financial sanctions."

 

Sanctions?  The front page of Sunday's New York Times featured James Risen and Duraid Adnan's "U.S. Says Iraqis Are Helping Iran to Skirt Sanctions" about the White House's knowledge that Iraq is helping Iran "skirt economic sanctions."  And, the two reported, Barack was "not eager for a public showdown with Nouri."  So instead of being a leader and addressing it, Barack will live in denial?  He wanted the job, why's it so damn hard for him to do the work required?  If he can't go toe-to-toe with a flunky the US-installed under Bush and that he (Barack) made sure got a second term inspite of the vote count and the Constitution, what kind of leader is Barack? The US government sought the sanctions against Iran.  The US president knows they're being ignored and he's too chicken to confront Nouri?

 

Courage is not sending the US military into other countries or over -- Libya and Syria -- them.  Courage is being able to stand up and Barack doesn't have the courage to stand up to Nouri.

 

 

And what kind of idiots are on Team Romney that they can't call out Barack on this?  This is exactly a test of are-you-ready-for-the-office-or-not and, by the way he's dawdled and ignored it, Barack's still not ready to be president even after four years on the job.

 

 

Apparently the right-wing was just flapping their gums and pretending to be offended when Barack was scraping and bowing to foreign leaders.  I gave them the benefit of the doubt on that because they were right: the US President bows down before no one.  I believe that very firmly.  Apparently the right-wing was just looking for something to complain about that day because, otherwise, they'd be all over Barack for refusing to address this issue. 

 

Not only is he not laying down the law with Nouri, he's about to turn F-16s over to Nouri.  When the White House knows or 'knows' (believes at the very least) that Iraq is helping Iran get around economic sanctions?  AFP reports US officials are stating that the first of 36 F-16s will be delivered to Iraq in September 2014.

 

Truth telling in the press?  Not very often but today AKnews offers some truth:

 

The US government has not demanded the oil companies not to invest in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, said Kurdistan Natural Resourced Minister.

Ashti Hawrami made the remarks in response to some media reports which quoted the US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland saying Washington has warned the oil companies not to sign any oil deals with Kurdistan without Baghdad's approval or Baghdad may take legal action against them.

 

He is correct.  Good for AKnews for reporting on his statements.

 

Turning to the topic of violence,  AKnews reports a 14-year-old boy was shot dead in front of his home Monday night and that a 23-year-old police officer has been arrested.  Alsumaria reports the PKK states today that they have killed 11 Turkish soldiers and 1 police officer on the Turkey-Iraq border and they report 1 police officer was shot dead outside his Mosul home and that one corpse was pulled out of the Tigris River.  Yesterday AFP reported "at least 409 people" died in the month of Ramadan with another 975 left injured.  Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) noted last night that the Antiwar.com count for July 21 to August 18th was 711 deaths with 1590 injured.

 

 

Since 2003, Iraq has become known as the land of widows and orphans.  All Iraq News reports today that MP Haifa Hilfi, who serves on the Women, Family and Children's Committee in Parliament, has publicly expressed surprise over what she calls the "neglect" on the part of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to provide widows and orphans with the support they need.  This is not a minor issue in Iraq.  Yesterday,  All Iraq News noted that the largest percent of orphans in the Arab world are in Iraq where over five million exist as a result of the violence.  The CIA estimates 38% of Iraqis are 14-years-old or younger and only 3.1% of the population is over the age of 65.  The median age is 21.1-years-old.

Ramzy Baroud (Tripoli Post) writes of Iraqi children:

I remember visiting a hospital that was attached to Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. The odour that filled its corridors was not the stench of medicine, but rather the aroma of death.
At a time of oppressive siege, the hospital lacked even basic aesthetic equipment and drugs. Children sat and stared at their visitors. Some wailed in inconceivable pain. Parents teetered between hope and the futility of hope, and at prayer times they duly prayed.
A young doctor gave a sweeping diagnosis: "No child that ever enters this place ever leaves alive." Being the young reporter I was at the time, I diligently made a note of his words before asking more questions. I didn't quite grasp the finality of death.
Several years later, Iraq's desolation continues. On August 16, 90 people were killed and more were wounded in attacks across the country. Media sources reported on the bloodbath (nearly 200 Iraqis were killed this month alone), but without much context. Are we meant to believe that violence in Iraq has transcended any level of reason? That Iraqis get blown up simply because it is their fate to live in perpetual fear and misery?
But the dead, before they were killed, were people with names and faces. They were fascinating individuals in their own right, deserving of life, rights and dignity. Many are children, who knew nothing of Iraq's political disputes, invited by US wars and occupation and fomented by those who feed on sectarianism.

AKnews reports a 14-year-old boy was shot dead in front of his home Monday night and that a 23-year-old police officer has been arrested. Alsumaria reports the PKK states today that they have killed 11 Turkish soldiers and 1 police officer on the Turkey-Iraq border.  Yesterday AFP reported "at least 409 people" died in the month of Ramadan with another 975 left injured.  Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) noted last night that the Antiwar.com count for July 21 to August 18th was 711 deaths with 1590 injured.


Today, Hayder al-Khoei (Guardian) looks at the propaganda/recruitment videos al Qaeda in Iraq groups are making:

Another propaganda video, uploaded in mid-August, demonstrates just how sophisticated the jihadi operations are. They have live-fire training exercises in broad daylight and rehearse their attacks on security targets. In one of their operations, they storm the city of Haditha, in the Anbar province, in disguise and go from checkpoint to checkpoint killing the security forces.
The al-Qaida militants wear interior ministry "Emergency Response" uniforms and casually drive around the city in official Swat vehicles. The jihadists are heavily armed, use night-vision goggles and sophisticated communications equipment. Though the group is a mix of both Iraqi and foreign Arab jihadists, the men who use the walkie-talkies speak in an Iraqi accent. They understand, and copycat, the security "speech" in Iraq. The al-Qaida militants are so well disguised as members of the Iraqi security forces that at one point they even mistook each other for the real deal. In a dramatic "friendly fire" incident, jihadists shouted at each to stand down – not realising they were on the same side. Two of them were killed.


Depending on the press outlet, Syria is either feeding fighters into Iraq or siphoning them off. 
An estimated 15,000 refugees have arrived in Iraq due to the ongoing conflict in Syria. Reuters notes a UNHCR and Iraqi government refugee camp for Syrian refugees in Qaim and quotes refugee Ayad al-Ali stating, "The children do not get healthy nutrition, they eat adults' food, they are suffering from diarrhea."  That camp, however, sounds like a Hilton Hotel when compared to the slum Rudaw reported on at the end of last week:

Iranian Kurdish refugees residing in Waleed camp suffer from lack of services such as drinking water, electricity and a medical center.

In addition, Iraq's Ministry of Interior is pressuring them to leave.

Waleed is located in Anbar province in the west, near the Syrian border. The camp -- which accommodates 120 Palestinian families, 24 Kurdish families and 19 Arab families from Ahwaz, Iran -- was established in June 2009.

For the past three months, the Iraqi government has been using various tactics to force the families to leave the camp, such as removing basic services like electricity and water. However, residents of the camp have been defying the government's decision.   

Nouri didn't even want to take in refugees.  He was only shamed into doing it when he realized how much damage his statements that Iraq couldn't take in refugees was doing to his world image.

 

 

This week's Black Agenda Radio, hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey (now broadcasts over the airwaves at 4:00 pm EST Tuesday on the Progressive Radio Network),  the guests included Rosa Clemente.  Excerpt.

 

 

 

Glen Ford: Earlier this summer the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement released a report detailing the killings of Blacks by police, security guards or white vigilantes from New Year's Day through June 30th.  The study found that 120 African-Americans were executed without trail, one every 36 hours.  Rosa Clemente, the former Green Party vice presidential candidate, was one of the authors of the study which was largely ignored by even the so-called progressive media.

Rosa Clemente:  Unfortunately, these progressive outlets and some mainstream outlets that we may see people that we may think would at least say that the report is out there whether it's MSNBC or Michael Eric Dyson filling in on the Ed Schultz Show or Rev Sharpton or Melissa Harris Parry.  No, they've chosen to ignore it because there's no way that they don't know this report exists.  There's no way they don't know or somebody hasn't brought it to their attention and we're dealing right now with an electoral political season that really doesn't want to talk about this issue. They don't want to deal with the issue of race or the systematic violence.  They don't want President Barack Obama or his Justice Department to be kind of put on blast as we would say in hip-hop. So they're purposely ignoring it which, to me, is more nefarious than CNN and Anderson Cooper saying they don't want to -- because these are folks that constistently say that there journalism that they're engaging in is community journalism and that there's a responsibility.  Well they're not at all being responsible about what they should be doing.  I don't know if they necessarily hold them just accountable or if we really need to understand that part of any organizing activist strategy moving forward will have to include now or we're really going to have to figure out how we are going to begin whatever Black or Brown kind of independent news network, however that looks, how we're going to create that. I think it's sad.  You know, and I think these folks are consistently back in communities of color because they are people of color.  I think it's for other like progressive outlets -- like Democracy Now or The Nation or In These Times or many other places we could cite -- that they haven't covered this either or it's just been a news headline.  I think this speaks about how this is not valued and how we're not valued when it comes to telling stories.

 

Glen Ford: Yes, it almost seems as if the only Black news that's thought of as news worthy is the Black president.

 

Rosa Clemente:  Yes, I would 100% agree and in fact when a friend tried to get it on MSNBC for me, the response I got was that they were doing nothing but covering the election.  And when I got that response, I said, "Well okay, I'd like to come on as a former vice presidential candidate and talk about some issues."  And they were very clear that they are focusing on the Democratic Party and that they would not be covering anything outside of that purview until maybe after the election.  As we know, we're looking at a murder every 36 hours of a Black [man], woman or child.  So how many more of these when the election happens and why would it be important after the election?  It's not important to the president now or, some of these journalists, I don't see them seeing it as important after the election is over.

 

It is an election year and, this year, four women make up two US presidential tickets:   Jill Stein has the Green Party's presidential nomination and her running mate is Cheri Honkala and  Roseanne Barr has the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party and her running mate is Cindy Sheehan. 

 

At The Daily Beast, Roseanne pays tribute to the late Phyllis Diller:

 

All hail and observe a moment of silence -- a genius has vacated this space and left us here to remember her life and her work. I remember hearing her records as a child. My dad collected comedy records, and what I loved the most about her was her laugh. She was the only comic I saw who laughed at her own jokes, and I found that funnier than hell. I stole that from her, but she viewed it as more a tribute than a lift. The last several years I called my ex-husbands "Fang" on stage, too.

It was timeless, that wacky, tacky character she created; the cigarette holder was genius, paradoxically regal. She was a victorious loser hero, the female iteration of Chaplin's Little Tramp, replete with costume jewelry that would embarrass Rick Ross.

You could tell the character had a messy house, and she couldn't care less because she also had a dreadful husband and a world of shit. So? Hey, must be time for a gin martini and some laughs!

It wasn't until you saw her paintings or heard her play a concerto on the piano that you understood that this woman lived her life as a true artist and a revolutionary. She knew a woman's place was not in the home, at a time when everyone on earth regurgitated that canard every minute of every day.

 

While Roseanne remembers Phyllis Diller, Michael Kraft proves he doesn't know a damn thing at Charlotte Conservative.  Using a potty mouth that must make his mother proud, he attacks Cindy Sheehan for calling out Bully Boy Bush and for not calling out Barack.  The problem?

 

Cindy Sheehan has called out Barack.  She went to Martha's Vineyard to protest him.  The nickname she generally uses for him in her writing is "Obomber."  If he's going to call Cindy a piece of s**t, he should try to know what he's talking about and he doesn't.  He doesn't know a damn thing she's done in the last four years.  Get out of your bubble, Michael Kraft.  You've condemned Cindy for not doing things when she has done that, you've flaunted your ignorance.  Now find a way to salvage your reputation by having the ethics to correct your mistakes about Cindy.

 

Cindy's a lighting rod because she supports peace.  Imagine having a vice president who actually supported peace.  Third Party Politics posts video of Jill Stein speaking in Seattle at the Seattle Hempfest.  Excerpt.

 

 

Jill Stein:  We need to liberate cannabis right now.  And we need to stop attacking the medical marijuana industry and the consumers of medical marijuana who are not criminals.  They are patients who are using a very important medical substance. And I can say this because I'm here not only as the Green Party candidate for president but also as a medical doctor and a public health advocate.  In fact, as we all know, canabis is a drug which is dangerous because it is illegal.  It is not illegal on account of being dangerous because it's not dangerous at all.  The president, by the way, has enormous power to change all of this on day one of her administration if she so desires.  And how do we do that?   ["Vote!"]  Vote, yes. Go vote.  And go register to vote. [. . .]  Because on day one of a Green administration, we can put an end to all this reckless, immoral persecution.  And the way we can do that is by the president instructing the Drug Enforcement Agency to do a really radical thing.  You know what that is?  Use science in the classification of substances because the minute science is used, marijuana, cannabis and hemp are off the list of scheduled substances because there is no scientific reason to schedule them.  And that's not only good for jobs.  As we know, it's really good for the climate.  Hemp provides fuel, food, nutrition and energy all in a way that is really good for the climate that we badly need, that we urgently need, and we need it right now.  It also means that we can start to empty out the jails that are packed full of recreational, non-violent users of cannabis and other substances.  We need to legalize cannabis.  Get the users out of jail and start to treat substance abuse and addiction as a public health problem, not as a criminal act. 

 

 

We're not done with Jill yet.  She's doing something really stupid.  She's going to take part in protests at the GOP convention.  Fine and dandy, as long as she's going to do the same at the Democratic convention where, hopefully, she'll march from Obamaville.  What's that?  That the stupid part.  The useless cowards of the left -- there are so damn many -- are going to be doing a "Romneyville."  Jeremey Wallace (Herald Tribune) explains, "It's a play on Hoovervilles tent cities that spawned up during the Great Depression when Herbert Hoover was president."  I believe he means sprung up.  Regardless, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of today.  Times are bad for many people.  No question. But Mitt Romney's not been president for even a day and may never end up president.  Barack Obama is in the White House.  You want to send up Hooverville, you do it using Barack.  This is so stupid.  It doesn't even make for good political theater. 

 

In 2008, a group of lefties gave a pass to Democrats at their convention -- yes, they did -- and then headed on to Michigan where they wanted blood in the streets.  And it turned out very violent.  That's not a surprise, that's what so many went looking for.  You send out that vibe, you will attract it.  They wanted Michigan to bleed.  I support real and genuine protest.   I don't support liars and whores who set out to make someone look bad in order to try to scare up votes -- it's fear tactics and I don't play that game. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

iraq

the new york times

james risen

duraid adnan

iraq

aknews

the guardian

hayder al-khodei

alsumaria
antiwar.com

margaret griffis

the tripoli post

ramzy baroud

rudaw

black agenda radio
glen ford
nellie bailey

Hurling

Monday, Monday, I'm sick to my stomach.  I'm not joking.  Elaine just finished posting and was surprised to find out I'd be puking.  I don't know what I caught this time.  I'm fine with it in that I'll get over it.  But a lot of the people I work with really need legal help and they don't have a lot of resources so they tend to, for example, get nasty summer colds and I get them then.  It's fine.  It's my own fault.  Elaine takes a large number of Vitamin C tablets throughout the year.  And she's never sick so that's what I should do.

But tonight i just want to hurl.

But the thing is, I've thrown up repeatedly.

So now I just kind of gag like a cat because there's nothing left to throw up.

Let's talk Third.  The following 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),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
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 come up with?

• Truest statement of the week
• Truest statement of the week II
• A note to our readers
• Editorial: We're giving that guy the F-16?
• TV: No low is too low for NBC
• No, really, who is Gloria?
• Anyone can become a Bully Boy Bush?
• Live By The Sword, Die By The Sword
• Must stream for the week
• The accomplishments of Gloria Steinem?
• DVD set to grab
• Jill Stein notes Dems and Reps push austerity agen...
• The economic non-recovery (Gene Clancy, WW)
• Support disabled liberation (Edward Yudelovich, WW...
• Highlights

That's all great content but I would especially recommend the Gloria Steinem

That's it, I'm spitting up in my mouth.  I need to post this and go wait by the toilet for the next hurl.



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

Monday, August 20, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, Iraq helps Iran skirt economic sanctions, Barack's nervous about a confrontation with Nouri, Total continues business with the KRG, violence claims the life of a prominent Sunni, Barack gives a press conference, and more.

 

Alex Lawler (Reuters) reports, "Exports from Iraq's south have averaged 2.25 million bpd in the first 20 days of August, the data shows.  That is up from 2.22 million bpd in July -- the highest since before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, according to the International Energy Agency."  But Iraqis aren't seeing improved lives. Moahmmed Salem tells AP that the money is "being stolen by government officials and sent to banks outside of Iraq" and "There is no electricity, no public services. No respect for the people of Iraq."  The issue of Iraqi oil was raised in today's State Dept press briefing in DC:

 

 

QUESTION: A different topic. I have a quick question regarding the oil agreements made in Northern Iraq. I had asked this question last week during a panel to Brett McGurk. He is a special advisor to Madam Secretary, probably, as I understand it. There are some American companies who made deals with KRG directly, bypassing Baghdad government, and this is an issue between KRG and Baghdad government right now, these oil agreements. And also, Turkey and KRG -- Turkish Government and KRG mad an -- agreements between two governments, and the -- some trucks started to transfer some oil to Turkey from Northern Iraq.

I'm wondering this -- the official position of U.S. Government on this issue, because the Baghdad government is arguing that this is unconstitutional, these kind of agreements, but KRG is arguing that no, they have license to do that. What is the official position of USA -- U.S. Government on this issue?

 

 

MS. NULAND: I mean, our position on this has not changed. We've spoken about it many times here. We speak about it in Iraq. With regard to our own companies, we continue to tell them that signing contracts for oil exploration or production with any region of Iraq without approval from the federal Iraqi authorities exposes them to potential legal risk, and we continue to tell them --  obviously, they'll make their own business decisions, but unless and until we have federal legislation in Iraq governing these things, something that we've been urging, that there are risks for them. So that's our message to our companies.

 

 

QUESTION: Did you raise this issue with the companies directly?

 

 

MS. NULAND: We do. When they come to us and ask what we think, then we raise this issue with them, yes.

 

 

QUESTION: And how about Turkey?

 

 

MS. NULAND: What do you mean?

 

 

QUESTION: Did you raise this issue with Turkey, I mean, in terms of this agreement made by -- between Turkish Government and KRG?

 

 

MS. NULAND: Well, obviously, they know where we are on our view of this issue. When the Secretary was in Istanbul, I think Foreign Minister Davutoglu had just been in Northern Iraq, so obviously, they talked about that trip, and they talked about Iraq as a general matter and our interest in seeing the groups work together and get through some of the political issues that they have so that they can get back to things like working on the oil legislation that is important for everybody.

 

 

 

Though Nouri al-Maliki seems to struggle with this concept, in the US, oil companies aren't controlled by the government. 

 

In more bad news for Nouri, Reuters reports, "French oil major Total has bought a minority share in an exploration block in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, ignoring threats from the central government in Baghdad made after a similar deal last month." Oil and Gas Journal adds the company's purchased "a 20% participating interest in the Taza PSC."

 

At The National Interest last week,  Joost R. Hiltermann weighs in on the conflict between Erbil and Baghdad:

Pipelines connecting the Kurdish region to the Mediterranean are still two years away. The Turkish government has not yet decided what kind of direct hydrocarbons relationship it wants with the KRG. That decision could lead to Iraq's break-up, a prospect that Ankara has historically feared and actively resisted because of the threat it would pose to Turkey's own territorial unity. Yet times are changing: the Syria crisis and a possible U.S.-Iran war could redraw the region's borders. Not knowing how the chips will fall, political actors are starting to move to secure their interests as best they can and maximize any advantage they might gain. The Maliki government and the Kurds are therefore unlikely to kiss and make up. Any new agreement will be a temporary accommodation that would give each what they need most right now—Baghdad: revenues from Kurdish crude before its own production in the south ramps up; Erbil: the ability to pay producing companies before they throw in the towel in utter frustration. The real battle—over the future of Iraq and Kurdistan—is still a couple years away.

 

 

 

Meanwhile AFP reports "at least 409 people" died in the month of Ramadan with another 975 left injured.  That's basically two week of July through Saturday.  For the month of August, through Saturday, Iraq Body Count records 323 deaths from violence.

 

Violence continued over the weekend and there was one high profile incident.  

 

Sunday brought news of the death of a notable figure.  KUNA reports, "Head of the Sunni fatwa authority in Iraq Sheikh Madhi al-Sumaidaie has sustained critical injuries due to a car-bomb blast that targeted his motorcade in west of the Iraqi capital, an police source said on Sunday." AP notes four body guards were killed in the attack and three more were left injured and they explain, "Al-Sumaidaie has sided with the government against Sunni extremists. Earlier this year, he called for a unified religious authority to bridge the gap between Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites. " Al -Arabiya elaborates, "Sumaidi, who extermist Sunni groups viewed as aligned with the government, had called for all Iraqis to disarm after the formal withdrawal of U.S. troops last year, saying that those who carried weapons were aginast Iraq and its interests."

 Kareem Raheem (Reuters) adds, "The attack came as Al Qaeda's local wing, Islamic State of Iraq, has warned of a new campaign and security analysts say fighters in Iraq are benefitting from funds and morale from Islamists slipping into Syria to join the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad next door."  Political analyst Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, also the Shaeikh's cousin, tells AFP, "Gunmen driving a car tried to cut off Sheikh al-Sumaidaie's convoy, and when the convoy came to a halt, another car driving fast crashed into his car and blew up."

 AKnews notes a statement from Nouri al-Maliki saying that this was an effort to "silence any moderate national voice."   It was left to Kitabat to offer actual journalism, they pointed out that the Ministry of the Interior had ordered that Sheikh al-Sumaidaie's convoy was always to be protected with at least two police cars.  Where were those cars today, Kitabat -- and only Kitabat -- asks?  The orders were put in place after the January Baghdad assassiantion of Sheikh Mullah Nazim al-Juburi.  Since those orders were put in place, al-Sumaidaie has been the target of many public threats, the paper explains, including several just last week. 

 

 

Alsumaria notes a Diyala Province roadside bombing which left three soldiers injured.  Alsumaria also notes a Nineveh roadside bombing injured a soldier and one Sahwa was shot dead by unknown assailants on motorcycles.

 

In the face of all of this, there are still no heads of the security ministries.  Nouri was supposed to nominated people in December 2010 and didn't.  All this time later, he still hasn't made nominations.  Today, Raman Brosk (AKnews) reports, "The State of Law Coalition (SLC) led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that it is not responsible for naming the interior and defense ministers, adding that resolving the file needs sincere intentions from all of the political blocs."

 

The political crisis continues as well and All Iraq News reports that Iraqiya has stated the only person benefitting from the ongoing crisis is Nouri.  Alsumaria adds that Iraqiya continues their call for a government of national partnership (as opposed to what Nouri's offered).  And Iraqiya MP Yassin al-Mutlaq states that the biggest cause of problems in Iraq today is the inabilty to address the political crisis.  Raman Brosk (AKnews) reports, "The State of Law Coalition (SLC) led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that it is not responsible for naming the interior and defense ministers, adding that resolving the file needs sincere intentions from all of the political blocs."

Saturday Diyala Province Governor Hashim Hayali and his wife died in what's being called a car accident (Hayali most recently survived an assassination attempt April 21st).  All Iraq News notes that Iraqiya issued a statement noting the "tragic loss." 

 

Meanwhile AFP reports,  "Iraq insisted Monday that its trade with Iran was honest, denying reports that it was helping the Islamic republic skirt sanctions by smuggling oil and moving cash in secret."   What are they talking about?

 

The front page of yesterday's New York Times which featured James Risen and Duraid Adnan's "U.S. Says Iraqis Are Helping Iran to Skirt Sanctions" about the White House's knowledge that Iraq is helping Iran "skirt economic sanctions."  And, the two reported, Barack was "not eager for a public showdown with Nouri."  The New York Times-owned Boston Globe runs the story but 'forgets' a byline and may leave readers with the impression that they originated the story.  The Toledo Blade runs the story but credits it to the Times.  AFP writes about the Times report and highlights this statement by Nouri al-Maliki's spokesperson, "We also have good relations with Iran that we do not want to break."  Covering the report, Reuters notes, "Barack Obama, the US president, acknowledged the problem last month when he barred a small Iraqi bank, the Elaf Islamic Bank, from any dealings with the American banking system, according to the report."

At Third yesterday, we offered "Editorial: We're giving that guy the F-16?" because it doesn't make a lot of sense to share F-16 technology with a government who's already helping Iran get around legal sanctions. But when does the US government make a great deal of sense? Al Arabia and AFP report that the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin "Dempsey acknowleged arch-foe Iran was trying to expand its influence in Iraq but said the Baghdad leadership wanted to build up relations with the American military."  Dempsey's headed to Iraq to smooth things over because apparently money is more important than safety and it's more important to the White House that the F-16 deal goes through possibly because, as Dar Addustour noted last week, Iraq is also seeking arms from the Russian government.

Iraq is currently observing Eid al-Fitr.  All Iraq News reports that Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc is calling on politicians to use the religious holiday to work towards a true reconciliation which will benefit Iraqis and resolve the differences.  While Moqtada's group calls for reconciliation, the outlet notes that Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq's Ammar al-Hakim used the holiday to sepak of martyrs, blood and warn of coming risks.  He then voiced his support for President Jalal Talabani's renewed call for a national conference.  Kitabat notes that this holiday sees thousands of children forced to play in dumps (cities) or in yards and orchards next to dumps (small towns) and that children are at risk being next to the waste disposal.  All Iraq News notes that the largest percent of orphans in the Arab world are in Iraq where over five million exist as a result of the violence.

 

 

Saturday came news of Camp Ashraf  where 1,200 residents remain and have thus far insisted that they will not move to Camp Libert with the other residents who have already moved there.  Gulf Times  quoted Maryam Rajavi (President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran) stating, "As a gesutre of goodwill, the residents of Ashraf will commence the 6th convoy of 400 residents from Camp Ashraf to Camp Liberty on August 23."  Martin Kobler, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq, declared, "I welcome the announcement that the next group of 400 residents are willing to commence the move from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya immediately after the Eid holiday."

 

 

Turning to the United States and the Dept of Veterans Affairs.  Recently the VA published a report [PDF format warning] "Strategies for Serving Our Women Veterans." 

 

The intro notes that women are "the fastest growing cohort of the Veterna community" with 1.8 million of veterans last year being women (2 million predicted in 8 years) and with women making up 14% of the current active duty and 18% of the National Guard ("In contrast, the percentage of women in uniform was just 2 percent in 1950").  The work group "identified issues or needs of women Veterans:"

 

* Underutilization of services

* Lack of awareness of benefits or eligibility

* Personal privacy and environment of care

* Fragmentation and gaps in health care

* Access to mental health care services

* Access to gender-specific specialty care (OB/GYN)

* Gender-based health disparities

* Underrepresentation in research; lack of data

* Unemployment

* Homelessness

* Need for child care

* Military sexual trauma (MST) and related issues (i.e. PTSD coverage, employment, etc)

* Domestic violence

 

And to address these issues?

 

* Develop a department-wide integrated action plan for meeting the needs of women Veterans.

* Analyze the current organizational design, relationships and internal accountability measures and mechanisms.  Identify organizational and business process enablers and barriers throughout VA, and identify opportunities for improvement.

* Formalize the roles, responsibilities, accountability and reporting mechanisms across the VA organizations that are engaged in addressing the unique needs of women Veterans. 

 

 

On the issue of unemployment, the report notes that for last year, "the annual average unemployment rate for women Veterans was 9.1 percent compared with 8.2 percent for non-Veteran women."   According to this March 20, 2012 Labor Dept press release, the 2011 unemployment rate for all veterans was 8.3 percent.  That would make the unemployment rate higher last year for female veterans than for male veterans overall.  (The VA report does not break down the numbers by age group.

 

The report moves on to note, "There has been a considerable investment in enhancing VA's programs, benefits, and services for women Veterans but there remain policies, practices, programs, and related activities that are not yet fully responsive or sensitive to the needs of women veterans."  Which is accurate but may cause some who follow the issue to reflect.

 

For example, in the May 21, 2008 Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Senator Patty Murray was noting that despite the huge number of women veterans today, "only 255,00 of those women actually use the VA health care services."  When Murray met with female veterans in her state of Washington, "Some told me they had been intimidate by the VA and viewed the VA as a male only facility.  Others simply told me that they couldn't find someone to watch their kids so they could attend a counseling session or find time for other care." This was the hearing where the VA's Dr. Gerald Cross objected to a bill (Murray and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's bill, S. 2799, Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2008) that would allow for childcare.  Cross declared that if the childcare option were included, veterans in need of  "mental health care or other intensive health care services at the VA" would not get the care they needed because the bill would "divert funds." Senator Murray replied by referring to Cross' own opening remarks, Cross was observing that lack of child care prevents some women from access "for mental health or other intensive services -- so you identified the lack of child care as a barrier [. . .] but you're unwilling to do anything about it?" 

 

And that was the case.  July 14, 2009, Murray would question Grace After Fire's Kayla Williams and Disabled American Veterans Joy Illem about this issue (the hearing was covered in the July 14th and 15th snapshot, this exchange is noted in the 15th -- and links for Grace After Fire and Disabled American Veterans]:

 

US Senator Patty Murray: I hear a lot from women about the access of child care being a barrier to the VA.  You, several of you, mentioned this in your testimony and I don't think a lot of people realize that you tell a woman there's no child care, they just simply don't go, they don't get their health care.  Do you for all the panelists, do you think that the VA providing child care would increase the number of women veterans who go to the VA and get the care that they need? Joy?

 

Joy Ilem: I would say definitely.  I think researchers have repeatedly shown this as a barrier for women veterans and that's the frustration, you know?  How many research surveys do you have to do when women keep saying this is a barrier to access for care?  And I think it was Kayla who mentioned the experience of someone who was told it was inappropriate for them to bring their child with them and some of these very personalized for appointments for mental health or other things -- it may be very difficult but they have no other choice.  I think it would definitely be a benefit and we would see an increase in the number of women veterans who would probably come to VA.

 

Senator Patty Murray: Ms. Williams?

 

Kayla Williams: I definitely think that usage rates of the VA would increase if women knew that they had child care available.  There are a variety of innovative ways that we could try to address the problem of women having to balance their needs of child care with their needs to get services.  Among them would be increasing the availability of tele-help and tele-medicine where women don't have to necessarily go all the way to a remote facility and spend four hours trying to get to and from and then be in-care.  And there are also opportunities for innovative programs.  For example, the VA has small business loans available if they could provide loans to women veterans who want to provide child care facilities near VA facilities, that would be a great way to try to marry these two needs.  There are also a lot of community organizations that stand ready and waiting to help that would be happy just given a small office to staff it with volunteers and be able to provide that care for the time that a woman has to be in appointment.  I think, as many others have said, the specific solutions may vary by location but there are a lot of innovative way that we could forge public-private partnerships to try to meet these needs.

 

But the VA wanted to say no, no and no.  In December of 2009, Senator Patty Murray was able to announce that planning and design had been funded for the Women and Children's Center at Madigan Army Medical Center, she'd been able to tack it on the Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidation Appropriations Committee.  And you can look at that and applaud the progress -- and should -- but you should realize what a struggle it was to get that far and how when a bi-partisan bill couldn't pass on this issue, it took perseverance.  You should also grasp that this issue has required starting at zero in many cases because there was so little information about women veterans. 

 

 

2012 is  a presidential election year in the United States.  The editorial board of the Saudi Gazette notes the silence in the US election cycle on the issue of Iraq and Afghanistan. 

President Obama claimed that US forces were leaving behind "a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq." But the eruption of widespread violence in Baghdad within hours of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq after nine years showed how incalculable was the damage done by Bush's war to Iraq's social fabric.
All this would have been overlooked if reconstruction in Iraq has succeeded and living conditions of the ordinary people have improved even slightly. No, it failed dismally. The US couldn't even restore the country's electric system or give a majority of its people potable water. The situation is no different in Afghanistan where the central government's writ does not run beyond the capital Kabul. That a vanquished enemy, Taliban, can disturb the equanimity of US and NATO forces even after a decade tells its own story.

 

 

Brian Montopoli (CBS News) reports on Barack's press conference today where he denied that his campaign suggesting Mitt Romney was a felon and more qualified as "out of bounds" campaigning.  Barack went on to lie  that Mitt Romney releasing "his 2010 tax returns and an estimate of his 2011 returns" is not like the "precedent that was set decades ago, including by Mr. Romney's father.  And for us to day that it makes sense to release your tax returns, as I did, as John McCain did, as Bill Clinton did, as the two President Bushes did, I don't think is in any way out of bounds." When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid repeated the lie about what others released, Bob Somerby (Daily Howler) noted, "Surely, Reid understands that Candidate McCain released only two years of tax returns, just as Candidate Romney is doing. Candidate Palin also released only two years of returns."

 

Barack isn't the only person running for the White House.  In fact, in 2012, four women make up two US presidential tickets:   Jill Stein has the Green Party's presidential nomination and her running mate is Cheri Honkala and  Roseanne Barr has the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party and her running mate is Cindy Sheehan. 

 

Today, we'll highlight the campaigns via the Tweeter accounts.  Here are four Tweets from Roseanne:

 

 

 

18 Aug BarrSheehan2012 ‏@BarrSheehan2012

i'm not running2 take votes from obama-I'm running2 take votes frm the duopolistic fundraising arm of the prison military industrial complex

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18 Aug BarrSheehan2012 ‏@BarrSheehan2012

first day in office: end all wars immediately. how? I'll cease funding the opposition. #commonsense #barr/Sheehan2012

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18 Aug BarrSheehan2012 ‏@BarrSheehan2012

@ChuckBaggett oh i see- yes I'll use R strong military for good, no bloodshed whatsoever-but2 get the food to the hungry & arrest the guilty

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18 Aug BarrSheehan2012 ‏@BarrSheehan2012

@Angie__Anderson @Chili69 NO. I'm voting for the solution to everything: peace and freedom!

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Here are five from Jill Stein (she's got five because five stood out on her first page):

 

6m Jill Stein ‏@jillstein2012

RT @anirvan: Jill Stein for President: The Interview http://j.mp/MYDnJ7 

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14m Jill Stein ‏@jillstein2012

What if? Let's try it and see! RT @mark_mean: @OccupyWallSt @Feruginous what if the 99% voted @gpus and took back the country??

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51m Jill Stein ‏@jillstein2012

Join #GreenParty VP candidate @CheriHonkala at #Romneyville in Tampa next week to protest the #RNC! http://ow.ly/d6zwL 

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4h Jill Stein ‏@jillstein2012

Curious about @JillStein2012's position on #cannabis? Watch & Share this video from last week's Hempfest! http://ow.ly/d6veA 

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5h Jill Stein ‏@jillstein2012

"We need to have people in Washington who refuse to be bought by lobbyist money & for whom change is not just a slogan." #ecomonday

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