Saturday, March 17, 2007

When 23 is 12 in the NYT

In today's New York Times, Edward Wong's "Iran Now Plays Expanded Role In Keeping Iraqi Economy Going" charts the economic ties that are being forged between the two neighboring countries. Alissa J. Rubin's "Visitors to British Jail in Iraq Swap Places With Prisoners" details the Basra incident yesterday where prisoners escaped (ten was the number used frequently as the story was breaking yesterday, Rubin says it was eleven but there was no 'stand-in' for the eleventh). She gives a corpse count that's off. She writes twelve corpses were discovered across Iraq and notes 9 in Diyala and three in Kirkuk. From yesterday's snapshot:

Mohammed al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) notes that 9 corpses were found in Baghdad and 2 corpses were discovered in Kirkuk today.

That would mean Kirkuk went up to 3, the Diyala Province had 9 and Baghdad had 9. That's 21 corpses, not 12. It does matter and it's all the more surprising when Rubin's article carries a dateline of Baghdad. If McClatchy isn't a good enough source for someone -- I have no idea why it wouldn't be, note that today Reuters also records the 9 corpses discovered yesterday in Baghdad. The Basra prison break/swap was breaking as McClatchy's al Dulaimy's article went out so there's no excuse for claiming that it wasn't known at the time. In addition, Reuters (today) notes two corpses were discovered in Mosul on Friday. That brings the reported count of corpses discovered on Friday to 23. 12 is nearly half of that.

The 4th anniversary of the start of the illegal war (March 19th) is upon us. Around the country, demonstrations and rallies are taking place. (We took part in the march on the Pentagon which is why I'm starting so late.) Activities will take part today, tomorrow and Monday. And they also took place yesterday. Martha notes Steve Vogel and Clarence Williams' "Rousing, Emotional Start for War Protest" (Washington Post):

Dozens of demonstrators, many of them Christian peace activists, were arrested outside the White House late last night and early this morning as part of a protest against the war in Iraq.
About 11:30 p.m., police began handcuffing the first of about 100 protesters who had assembled on the White House sidewalk to pray in a planned act of civil disobedience.
The protesters were part of a larger group that had assembled at the Washington National Cathedral for a service on the fourth anniversary of the start of the war. From the service, demonstrators marched through the wind, cold and dampness to the White House.
The demonstration began a weekend of protest that is to include a march on the Pentagon today. Last night's event, which was sponsored by more than two dozen religious groups, was not part of today's antiwar rally at the Pentagon.
Those who were arrested had been among almost 3,000 people who assembled at the cathedral at 7 p.m. for a rousing, emotional service that lasted more than 90 minutes.
Participants, whom the cathedral staff numbered at 2,825, heard speakers including Celeste Zappala of Philadelphia, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004.
"I am here tonight as a witness to the true cost of war," she said, "the betrayal and madness that is the war in Iraq."

This is the event Melinda noted WJLA's coverage of yesterday. (I forgot to include the link to WJLA in yesterday's entry -- my apologies.) Carl was the first to note Margaret Kimberley's "Michelle Malkin and Dinesh D’Souza - Fascists of Color" (Freedom Rider, Black Agenda Report):

The corporate media makes advocates of racism and white American supremacy very rich. American racism also gives certain non-white people advantages. They are able to escape the indignity that black Americans face. They are then able to disassociate themselves and become allies with the very worst and most dangerous aspects of political life in this country.
Michelle Malkin, born Michelle Maglalang, is a dark skinned Filipino-American who loves the worst that white American civilization has to offer. Malkin is a darling of the right wing, a blogger and author who is eager to advocate invading other nations, and spewing hatred of immigrants in general and of Muslims in particular.
Malkin constantly rails against immigration, complaining about "drive by" and "accidental" citizenship attained by the children of immigrants who she and others label "anchor" and "jackpot" babies.
Malkin never told her loyal readership that her father came to the United States in 1970 on a temporary work visa. She was born in October 1970. Malkin is herself a jackpot baby, given automatic citizenship when her parents were not even permanent residents. The truth may set you free, but it doesn't get you on Fox news.
In 2002 Malkin wrote that the internment of thousands of Japanese-Americans was "wrong and abhorrent." Who knows if she ever believed those words, but times changed quickly and there was a book deal waiting for an Asian who would approve past and future efforts to profile and then incarcerate non-white people.

Turning to radio, we'll start with RadioNation with Laura Flanders (Saturdays and Sundays, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm EST, Air America Radio, XM radio and online):

SATURDAY
Four years after the invasion of Iraq, autocracy is taking its toll. We’ll hear from people who are taking to the streets, to the Congress and to the board rooms of this country to build a real democracy. SUNSARA TAYLOR reports from the 'March on the Pentagon' first up. Then MARK GREEN -- Air America's new president -- ERIKA WOOD and MILES RAPAPORT lay out an agenda for Democracy. And finally, GIULIANA SGRENA, the Italian journalist who was kidnapped, released, and then shot by US troops...on the toll of the occupation, as seen by one reporter up close. Special Gift: Laura's new book
SUNDAY
Salon.com journalist MARK BENJAMIN was reporting on the treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed for years before the latest controversy made waves in the mainstream media. He'll join us to discuss his latest report on injured troops being sent back to Iraq. Then, Nation contributor, JEREMY SCAHILL, on the world's most powerful shadow army. Scahill's new book is 'Blackwater: The Rise of The World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.'

Rachel notes the following upcoming programs (Sunday and Monday) on WBAI -- over the airwaves in the NYC area (and beyond) and also available online (times given are EST):

Sunday, March 18, 11am-noon
THE NEXT HOUR
Director Cynthia Croot and actress Brigit Evans bring dramatic excerpts and discussion of The Venus Project Worldwide, their theatrical experiment with Suzan-Lori Parks' play about Sarah Bartmann, the South African servant who gained strange fame as "The Hottentot Venus." With actors Kathleen Chalfant and Jeffrey Frace and humanitarian advocate Rachel Lloyd of Gems Girls. Hosted by Janet Coleman.

Monday, March 19, 2-3pm
CAT RADIO CAFE
Orange Prize winner Lionel Shriver on her new novel, "The Post-Birthday World"; violinist Ching Chen Juhl on The Women's Work Concert Series 2007; and playwright Steve Berman with actors Patrick Husted and Kathleen Doyle on their new play about the origins of Alcoholics Anonymous, "Bill W. and Dr. Bob." Hosted by Janet Coleman and David Dozer.

Turning to war resistance, Vic notes Jennifer Taplin's "Former U.S. marine to speak against war" (Halifax' The Daily News):

It wasn't two tours in Iraq. It wasn't pacifism.It was seeing young soldiers disabled and dying from war which turned Dean Walcott into a U.S. marine deserter.Born in Connecticut and raised in up-state New York, the 25-year-old refugee is now living in Toronto. He was invited by the Halifax Peace Coalition to speak at Dalhousie University last night and march in an anti-war demonstration this afternoon.After his first tour in Iraq in 2003, Walcott was assigned to assist the seriously wounded at the American hospital in Germany for two months in 2004."It's a place you go when you are either dying or seriously wounded," said Walcott.It was rewarding helping burned and limbless soldiers, but Walcott said he just didn't like why they were there. It was the war he didn't understand."There will still be times when I'll sitting there and I'll be spaced out and I'll be seeing it all over again. I'll see the people in the beds ... and it just immobilizes me for a bit."
[. . .]
Realizing there was nowhere to turn, Walcott went AWOL and moved to Toronto a few months ago. He applied for refugee status and is now waiting for the paperwork to hopefully go through.


The following community sites have updated since yesterday morning:

Rebecca's Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude;
Cedric's Cedric's Big Mix;
Kat's Kat's Korner;
Betty's Thomas Friedman is a Great Man;
Mike's Mikey Likes It!;
Elaine's Like Maria Said Paz;
Wally's The Daily Jot;
and Trina's Trina's Kitchen


[Note, title corrected. Thank you, Shirley for pointing that out. "12" not "21." "When 23 is 12 in the NYT."]
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

























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