The Associated Press reports "Freelance Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq Is Freed." From the article:
Police Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohammedawi said Carroll, 28, was handed over to the Iraqi Islamic Party office in Amiriya, western Baghdad, by an unknown group. She was later turned over to the Americans and was believed to be in the heavily fortified Green Zone, he said.
Also from Iraq, the premier finds a voice! From Edward Wong's "Beleaguered Premier Warns U.S. to Stop Interfering in Iraq's Politics" in this morning's New York Times:
Mr. Jaafari also defended his recent political alliance with the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, now the prime minister's most powerful backer, saying in an interview that Mr. Sadr and his militia, now thousands strong, are a fact of life in Iraq and need to be accepted into mainstream politics.
Now of course, Jaafari had a voice before yesterday and was widely quoted (in media other than the Times) with his replies to calls from the US administration to step down. But somehow they weren't judged "news" until today. So if Jaafari were to go, would that mean installing Chalabi?
Chalabi pops up in passing in the final paragraph of Wong's story. It's always interesting to see how one of the chief liars to the papers is covered by the paper. Today? He's just "a Pentagon favorite" and "an exile." And Henry Kissinger is just a speech maker.
Not a lot of attention is paid to the issue that Jaafari was elected in what I'd call questionable elections but what the mainstream media hailed at the time (and Thomas Friedman many times since) as "free and fair elections" [!] another 'step on the road to democracy!' and so much more.
Exactly who is in charge of this country? (Answer, the US but we're apparently not supposed to say such things -- we live in such 'polite company.') Exactly what business is of the Bully Boy's who the Iraqis elect (or "elect") and whom they don't?
Who knows? But Martha steers us to Peter Baker's "'Get Governing,' Bush Tells Iraqis" (Washington Post). To which the reply to Bully Boy can only be, as Pretenders once sang, "Stop sniveling!" ("Tattooed Love Boys").
And speaking of music, Kat contributed "Kat's Korner: Etta James Takes It All The Way" last night so be sure you don't miss that.
And don't miss today's Democracy Now! -- listen, watch or read (transcripts.) And speaking of reading, ??? notes this:
New! 10-CD audiobook read by Amy Goodman with DN! excerpts.
THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULERS AUDIOBOOK
The New York Times Bestseller, The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers and the Media That Love Them by Amy Goodman & David Goodman in a 10 CD Set, read by Amy Goodman
Plus many audio excerpts, including:
*President Bill Clinton protesting that Amy Goodman is "hostile, combative, and even disrespectful" in their heated interview
*Filmmaker Michael Moore
*Newt Gingrich lashing out at Goodman for questioning why he called Hillary Clinton a "bitch" *Hip-hop artist Michael Franti
*Journalist Allan Nairn's dramatic testimony from inside an Indonesian jail
*Civil liberties victims describing their harrowing ordeals in post-9/11 America
*Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez and correspondent Jeremy Scahill, poet Martin Espada, death row prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, and much more...
10 CD AUDIOBOOK for $30
Ten CD audio version of the book for thirty dollars, as ??? points out, is a great bargain.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
the new york times
edward wong
jill carroll
peter baker
the washington post
democracy now
the exception to the rulers
amy goodman
david goodman
etta james
all the way
kats korner
