Monday, July 17, 2006

Link-fest

The Associated Press reported that three US troops died in Iraq today, two died in Baghdad, the third in the Anbar province. The two deaths in Baghdad means six US troops have died since Saturday in Baghdad.

In "Jake Kovco, Gaza, Danny Schechter," Elaine noted Danny Schechter's "'Beat The Press' And Search For Truth" (News Dissector entry today) and felt the Meet the Press commentary should have been a stand alone commentary. Though it's not, he does address Meet the Press' embracing (okay -- fondeling, french kissing, heavy petting . . . everything but, for everything they's need an authorization of war from Congress or for Bully Boy to circumvent the Congress) of war in "Is It Time For A Third World War?" (Common Dreams):

Years ago, Che Guevara called for "I, 2, 3" Vietnams. The Busheviks today may be moving toward '1, 2, 3' world wars.
Sound crazy? In our Orwellian political climate, a new generation of Dr Strangelove's are in command. Only this time, they don't act like loonies but have mastered the art of the TV interview and can, with selective facts and ideology packaged as information, make insanity sound oh so sane.
They have convinced themselves, and now want to convince us, to join a new hegemonic adventure to expand their failed "GWOT," (Global War on Terror), whatever the costs.
And where is the media in all this, to rein them in, to connect the dots, to offer the missing context and background, to make vital distinctions between the aggressor and those agressed upon, and to stand up for international law, human rights, and sanity? NBC is giving the Gingrichs and Pearls of the world a platform to advocate more killing with no one to challenge them effectively.
We need more critics like Cenk Uygur who challenges William Kristol on Huffington Post in these terms:
"Bill Kristol has never seen a war he didn't like. No, that's too soft. A war he didn't love and lust after. Here's a wolf in sheep's clothing pretending to be serious, sober minded analyst on television when in reality he is trying to get us sucked into horrific wars that other people will die fighting."
Why didn't Tim Russert have the guts to say something similar to Newt Gingrich?
Has mainstream media devolved so far that a world war is now considered a legitimate subject to advocate? Doesn't this new "mission" add up to more madness?

Meanwhile, Zach points out that Robert Parry is following up on the revelation that the CIA realized Osama's video immideatly prior to the 2004 election was strategy to keep Bully Boy in the White House with "The Abyss Beckons" (Consortium News) where Parry further explores the sick, symbiotic relationship between Bully Boy and Osama.

With a look at life on the ground in Lebanon, Marcia notes Dahr Jamail's "Fleeing Lebanese Speak of Indiscriminate Bombing" (IPS):

ADDABBAOUSIYEH (northern Lebanese border), Jul 16 (IPS) - People fleeing the bombing of Lebanon say the Israelis are targeting civilian neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure, and not just Hezbollah centres. The bombing has killed more than 100 Lebanese civilians so far. Several border points between Syria and Lebanon are being deluged with refugees. Lebanon has a long border with Syria towards its south, east and north. The refugees include both Lebanese and tourists.
"Everything is being bombed," a teacher from the United States who was on vacation in Beirut told IPS. "It's terror. We've literally been terrorised."
Twenty-five-year-old social studies teacher Abdul Rahman was living with his family in downtown Beirut near the United Nations building before they all decided to flee.
"We have not slept for three days because we were living in terror and never knew when the Israelis would bomb us since they were hitting everything," he told IPS. "If they want to hit Hezbollah, let them hit Hezbollah, but not the civilians. But civilians are all that they are hitting." His mother feared for her 96-year-old father who they had to leave behind.
"We cannot move him because he is too frail," she said. "And now all we can do is worry, since the Israelis are taking it out on the innocent people."

And Tracey notes a "powerful thing by Katrina vanden Heuvel that everyone should read." From vanden Heuvel's "Don't Forget the Bloodletting in Iraq" (Editor's Cut, The Nation):

Yes, Iraq is complicated. As Robert Kuttner wrote recently in the Boston Globe, "..the search for a viable Iraq policy is really hard. President Bush has left the country with a policy problem from hell that may be literally insoluble, for him or anyone else." I agree, but at the same time that view should not lend a kind of gloss of acceptance to continued occupation.
Over the past three years, the Administration and its allies have offered a succession of reasons for why we must "stay the course"--all designed to match the succession of rationales for the war itself. An American withdrawal, we've been told, would embolden the insurgency, make Iraq a safe haven for terrorists and foreign jihadis and lead to civil war. One by one each of these predictions has come true. Not, of course, because we withdrew or even announced a timetable for withdrawal or redeployment but because we could not control the forces the war and occupation have unleashed and created.
At this point, there may be little America can do to stop the sectarian violence or even an all-out civil war. The sanest course is to remove US forces and work with the international community to keep Iraq from disintegrating as a result of our invasion and occupation. That means a shift from the failed military model to an all-out diplomatic and economic effort to limit the damage our reckless policies have caused. That means declaring no permanent bases or control of oil. But this Administration and its newly energized neo-con allies have little interest in diplomacy or giving Iraqis real sovereignty.

Tracey is Ruth's granddaughter and a lot of members are asking where Ruth is? She's back on Saturday with "Ruth's Report." She says she feels like Cher with all the name changes. For future editions of her column, she'll focus on different things that she wants to write about. It might be radio, it might be the reactions to and thoughts of Iraq in her circle.

West notes that Matthew Rothschild spoke of the difficulties in writing about Israel and the occupied territories in an interview on Progressive Radio with Steven Salaita last week.
And Kelli noted that "everyone" had posted today. That includes Mike with "Iraq, Israel and more," Betty with "Various thoughts" and Cedric with "Some thoughts on Iraq" and "Musical memory & C.I.'s Iraq snapshot" (second post is at Kat's site, Kat's on vacation).

Elaine's latest was noted earlier and I'm noting Wally's "THIS JUST IN! EVAN BLAH ATTACKS HIS OWN! TRIES TO EAT 'EM!" in full:

BULLY BOY PRESS - DC

THIS JUST IN!

EVAN BLAH ATTACKS HIS OWN! TRIES TO EAT 'EM!

HISTORICALLY THE MOST DIFFICULT THING FOR EVAN BLAH HAS BEEN DEALING WITH AN ADAM'S APPLE THAT LOOKS LIKE HE'S SWALLOWED A GOLF BALL. BUT THE SENATOR FORMERLY KNOWN AS BAYH SEEMS DETERMINED TO REPLACE JOE LIEBERMAN AS MOST USELESS MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

EVAN BLAH PROVED THIS AFTERNOON THAT HE COULD "ZELL-BOY UP" AND GET READY FOR HIS FOX-TIME CLOSE UP BY FALSELY SLAMMING HIS PARTY FOR ABANDONING THE MIDDLE CLASS IN A PURSUIT OF "LOWER-INCOME AMERCIANS."

EVAN BLAH DEMONSTRATED YET AGAIN THAT THERE'S NO ROCK HE'S NOT WILLING TO EMERGE FROM AS HE REINFORCED A FALSE STEREOTYPE BETTER THAN HIS REPUBLICAN BRETHERN COULD.

WAGS SAY HIS 2008 SLOGAN WILL BE: "EVAN BLAH: NO BACK LEFT UNSTABBED."

Recommended: "Iraq snapshot"
"Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts 'Song of the Bully Boy'"
"And the war drags on . . ."
"NYT: Dexy has five but, like a good xenophobe, extrapolates to 'all'"
"NYT: Selling the witchhunt through sourcing"
"Will the Babble Be Unbroken? Not while I'm substituting for Rebecca!"
"Friday""My thoughts"
"What to call it? I'm too tired to figure that out"
"A light post (I won't pretend this is deep)"
"From Dexy to reality"
"NYT: 'Gunmen Kidnap 30 at Olympic Committee Meeting" (Kirk Semple)'"
A Note to Our Readers
Editorial: House of Cards Collapses
TV: 4 Days in 7th Hell
Redistricting right up to the election?
It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Boring)
The rush to grab that linked article!
All He Is Saying Is Act Like M15 Doesn't Exist
William Lash III
Tour de Drip
The long and winding edition


Why Wally in full (Wally's deal is anything can be noted but you have to put in his recommended links)? Friday, he took a humorous look at Peter Coor's DUI arrest and there are e-mails on that today from visitors who just discovered it. I want to be sure that anyone visiting realizes that Wally's Bully Boy Press is a humorous take on the news. When I checked (even with permission, I always check) Wally had one additional request (honored because it fits in) which was he forgot to note Trina's post (she posts on Saturday) and he asked that a link be included for "Rosemary Roasted Potatoes in the Kitchen."

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.















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