Turkish troops clashed with Kurdish militants in the snowy mountains of northern Iraq on Friday after staging an invasion, the most serious offensive in years in Turkey's conflict with anti-government rebels.
Iraq's government reacted angrily, demanding the troops' withdrawal and accusing Turkey of destroying five bridges in violation of its pledge to target only rebel bases. The White House confirmed that it knew in advance of the invasion.
The above is from Tina Susman and Yesim Comert's "Turkey invades Kurdish Iraq in battle with rebels" (Los Angeles Times). Elsewhere in the article they note that yesterday's cart bombing in Baghdad has led to a ban on animal carts. They've banned the animal carts, they've banned people on the street (specifically those accused of being beggars or mentally disturbed) and now it's the animal carts. At McClatchy, Yasseen Taha and Leila Fadel's "Iraqi Kurds ready to confront Turkish troops" offer:
How many Turkish troops had entered Iraq was uncertain. American military officials in Baghdad estimated the number at 1,000, but Kurdish rebels said the incursion involved 10,000 troops.
Commanders of two Kurdish militia organizations confirmed that they'd been ordered to move north in force and that their men were armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, PKC machine guns, which can be used as light anti-aircraft weapons, and assault rifles.But the militia didn't intervene in fighting between the Turks and rebels from the Kurdistan Worker's Party, commonly known as the PKK.
Still, the makeup of the forces suggested that Kurdish Regional President Massoud Barzani probably approved the deployment: More than 4,000 of the Kurdish forces belong to the Zeravany, the military wing of Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party. The remaining 2,000 are members of Iraqi Kurdistan's peshmerga militia, the regional government's armed force.Barzani has been a frequent critic of the United States and Iraq's central government for their cooperation with Turkey in targeting the PKK, which is widely popular in Iraq's Kurdish region, but which the United States considers a terrorist organization. A confrontation between Turkish forces and the Kurdish militia would be a major escalation in the standoff over PKK attacks in Turkey, which have killed hundreds of Turkish civilians and soldiers in recent years.
Sabrina Tavernise and Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) offer this:
Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, called the operation an "escalation" and said the Iraqi government had protested to Turkey and asked it "to withdraw Turkish troops from Iraqi territory." Mr. Zebari said five bridges were destroyed in the operation, despite Turkey's assurances that no civilian infrastructure would be touched.
Reports of the numbers of troops varied. Mr. Zebari said he believed that only a few hundred soldiers had crossed the border, while Turkish television reported that the number was about 10,000. According to Reuters, several Iraqi officials and a source with American-led forces in Iraq said only a few hundred troops were involved.
What's missing above? Hoshyar Zebari has opposed all of Turkey's actions. He is also a Kurd.
At the Puffin Cultural Forum in New Jersey, a multi-media event. From Kevin Coyne's "Poet-Soldiers Lend Voices on Iraq War:"
"In the distance, chopper noise, to the west upwind, the whop-whop-whop approaching like swarms of dragonflies, banking nose up," read Dayl S. Wise, who served in Vietnam and Cambodia in 1970, and who has compiled a book of poems by himself and other veterans, "Post-Traumatic Press 2007." "Are you here to bring us life or death?"
The room was hung with an installation called "Blankets of Sorrow" by Diane Efsic -- long, vertical chains of the joss paper that is burned at traditional Chinese funerals, squares of gold or silver foil set on white, almost 4,000 of them. On each was written the name of an American who died in Iraq.
"Right over there," said John Fenton, pointing toward the paper with the name of his son, Marine Sgt. Matthew J. Fenton, who died at 24 after a suicide bomber attacked his convoy outside Falluja in April of 2006. "One piece of shrapnel and his brain was destroyed."
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC action:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.
Dee Knight (Workers World) notes, "IVAW wants as many people as possible to attend the event. It is planning to provide live broadcasting of the sessions for those who cannot hear the testimony firsthand. 'We have been inspired by the tremendous support the movement has shown us,' IVAW says. 'We believe the success of Winter Soldier will ultimately depend on the support of our allies and the hard work of our members'." As part of their fundraising efforts for the event, they are holding houseparties and a recent one in Boston featured both IVAW's Liam Madden and the incomprable Howard Zinn as speakers. IVAW's co-chair Adam Kokesh will, of course, be participating and he explains why at his site, "But out of a strong sense of duty, some of us are trying to put our experiences to use for a good cause. Some of us couldn't live with ourselves if weren't doing everything we could to bring our brothers and sisters home as soon as possible. The environment may be unking, but that is why I will be testifying to shooting at civilians as a result of changing Rules of Engagement, abuse of detainees, and desecration of Iraqi bodies. It won't be easy but it must be done. Some of the stories are things that are difficult to admit that I was a part of, but if one more veteran realizes that they are not alone because of my testimony it will be worth it."
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;
Trina's Trina's Kitchen;
Ruth's Ruth's Report;
and Marcia's SICKOFITRADLZ
Closing with Margaret Kimberley's "Bush Wins in 2008" (Black Agenda Report):
Neither Clinton nor Obama has pledged to end these travesties of justice and violations of international law. Both speak only vaguely of closing Guantanamo. Clinton goes out slightly further on the limb, saying she would determine on a case by case basis whether the federal courts or court martials should be used to try prisoners. Not surprisingly, Obama won't go that far. "I think it's important to be careful about commenting on specific cases pending before the tribunals at Guantanamo Bay." In other words, Obama will continue the Bush policy of violating the Geneva conventions regarding treatment of prisoners. Bush still wins.
George W. Bush is an intellectual mediocrity who was never legitimately elected president in the first place. He now faces Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress and has an abysmal approval rating. It never seems to matter. Bush is clearly the most successful president in modern history.
Where has he failed? He wanted to win by hook or crook, and he stole an election. He then perfected the art of electoral theft to insure more Republican victories. He wanted to loot the treasury for the benefit of corporations and wealthy individuals and he has. He wanted to invade Iraq, steal its resources and make it a cash cow for corporations and he did just that. He wanted to expand his power to conduct surveillance on anyone and he did. He declares that the president is above the law and can do anything he wants, including hold citizens indefinitely without trial. He has done that as well.If anyone needed further proof that the evil Bush legacy will outlive his term, look no further than Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. As if Americans don't have enough reason to be embarrassed, Scalia left the country and spewed his evil thoughts on foreign soil. In a BBC interview he told the world that America will keep torturing, executing and violating international law.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
margaret kimberley
iraq veterans against the war
leila fadel
mcclatchy newspapers
tina susman
the los angeles times
the new york times
sabrina tavernise
like maria said paz
kats korner
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
trinas kitchen
the daily jot
cedrics big mix
mikey likes it
thomas friedman is a great man
ruths report
sickofitradlz
Saturday, February 23, 2008
al-Sadr
The luminous [Julie] Christie, 66, expressed dismay that her co-star in "Away From Her," beloved Newfoundland actor Gordon Pinsent, didn't garner the same kind of awards recognition as she has.
"I am terribly, terribly sorry," said Christie.
"I've tried to work it out; I don't understand it. Maybe it has to do with not being so well-known; I really don't know. Everybody is surprised , everybody comes up to me from all different nations and says: 'Why isn't Gordon being nominated? He was so fantastic.' "
Christie said she attended the luncheon due in large part to her longtime affection for Canada, but said that her ardour has been tarnished thanks to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"I love Canada, I've always loved Canada, I feel proud of Canada - it's only just now that I am starting to lose my pride in Canada because of this guy who is your prime minister," said Christie.
The British actress, a longtime peace activist, accused Harper of refusing to welcome traumatized American soldiers to Canada who are deserting the army amid the prolonged and bloody war in Iraq.
"I was in Canada in the 1960s and 1970s . . . the place was full of war resisters and they were accepted by Canada and I've loved Canada ever since then. The fact that he's turned that around, and the cruelty of that and the meanness of it, it's put a little edge on my love of Canada."
The above, noted by Vince, is from Lee-Anne Goodman's "'Juno' director Reitman laments that film wasn't Canadian enough for Genies" (The Canadian Press). Julie Christie is, of course, the actress who excelled in films such as Shampoo, Darling, Petulia, Don't Look Now, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Doctor Zhivago, Heat and Dust, Afterglow, The Secret Life of Words and her current film, Away From Her, which finds the Oscar winning Christie once again nominated for Best Actress. Her director on Away From Her is the actress Sarah Polley who is up for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
In this morning's New York Times, Richard A. Oppel Jr. contributes "Iraqi Shiite Cleric Extends Cease-Fire by His Militia:"
But the cease-fire has been deeply unpopular with many Sadrists in southern Iraq, where militiamen loyal to a powerful and rival Shiite cleric, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, dominate many elements of the Iraqi security forces.
Moreover, many fighters in Baghdad continue to resist the cease-fire, and carry out rocket and mortar attacks against American and Iraqi forces. The American military calls these cells "special groups" and says they have Iranian backing.
Separately on Friday, the military announced that a marine was killed in combat on Thursday in Anbar Province in western Iraq.
Leila Fadel and Qassim Zein's "Radical Iraqi cleric asks militia to stand down for 6 more months" (McClatchy Newspapers) also notes the response:
The cease-fire wasn't met with universal support.
As the cleric read Sadr’s statement in Kufa, Hameed Hassan Ali wept.
“Sayed Muqtada’s orders are to be followed blindly; he has better knowledge of our destiny,” the 28-year-old Mahdi Army member said. “This second freeze has humiliated us because anyone, no matter who, has started targeting us and we became weak; but we cannot do anything contrary to Sayed Muqtada’s orders.”
Radhi Majeed, 37, also of Kufa, said Mahdi Army members ought to be able to respond when attacked.
"He must allow us to defend ourselves when someone accosts us, because another period of suspension will be exploited by the government to target Sadrists, fill the prisons with them and unsettle their families," Majeed said.
Back at the New York Times, Solomon Moore examines Basra post-British 'withdrawal' (they're not gone yet -- in fact four British troops were injured this week at the Basra base):
Yet the city remains deeply troubled. Disappearances of doctors, teachers and other professionals are common, as are some clashes among competing militias, most of which are linked to political parties. Murder victims include judicial investigators, politicians and tribal sheiks. One especially disturbing trend is the slaying of at least 100 women in the last year, according to the police. The Iraqi authorities have blamed Shiite militiamen for many of those killing, saying the militants had probably deemed the women to be impious.
"Most of the killings are done by gunmen in police cars," said Sheik Khadem al-Ribat, a Basra tribal leader who claims no party membership. He spoke of the militias in an antechamber of his downtown mosque, his voice barely above a whisper. "These cars were given to the political parties. There are supposed to be 16,000 policemen, but we see very few of them on the street, and most of the ones we do see are militiamen dressed as police."
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
leila fadel
mcclatchy newspapers
the new york times
richard a. oppel jr.
solomon moore
"I am terribly, terribly sorry," said Christie.
"I've tried to work it out; I don't understand it. Maybe it has to do with not being so well-known; I really don't know. Everybody is surprised , everybody comes up to me from all different nations and says: 'Why isn't Gordon being nominated? He was so fantastic.' "
Christie said she attended the luncheon due in large part to her longtime affection for Canada, but said that her ardour has been tarnished thanks to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"I love Canada, I've always loved Canada, I feel proud of Canada - it's only just now that I am starting to lose my pride in Canada because of this guy who is your prime minister," said Christie.
The British actress, a longtime peace activist, accused Harper of refusing to welcome traumatized American soldiers to Canada who are deserting the army amid the prolonged and bloody war in Iraq.
"I was in Canada in the 1960s and 1970s . . . the place was full of war resisters and they were accepted by Canada and I've loved Canada ever since then. The fact that he's turned that around, and the cruelty of that and the meanness of it, it's put a little edge on my love of Canada."
The above, noted by Vince, is from Lee-Anne Goodman's "'Juno' director Reitman laments that film wasn't Canadian enough for Genies" (The Canadian Press). Julie Christie is, of course, the actress who excelled in films such as Shampoo, Darling, Petulia, Don't Look Now, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Doctor Zhivago, Heat and Dust, Afterglow, The Secret Life of Words and her current film, Away From Her, which finds the Oscar winning Christie once again nominated for Best Actress. Her director on Away From Her is the actress Sarah Polley who is up for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
In this morning's New York Times, Richard A. Oppel Jr. contributes "Iraqi Shiite Cleric Extends Cease-Fire by His Militia:"
But the cease-fire has been deeply unpopular with many Sadrists in southern Iraq, where militiamen loyal to a powerful and rival Shiite cleric, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, dominate many elements of the Iraqi security forces.
Moreover, many fighters in Baghdad continue to resist the cease-fire, and carry out rocket and mortar attacks against American and Iraqi forces. The American military calls these cells "special groups" and says they have Iranian backing.
Separately on Friday, the military announced that a marine was killed in combat on Thursday in Anbar Province in western Iraq.
Leila Fadel and Qassim Zein's "Radical Iraqi cleric asks militia to stand down for 6 more months" (McClatchy Newspapers) also notes the response:
The cease-fire wasn't met with universal support.
As the cleric read Sadr’s statement in Kufa, Hameed Hassan Ali wept.
“Sayed Muqtada’s orders are to be followed blindly; he has better knowledge of our destiny,” the 28-year-old Mahdi Army member said. “This second freeze has humiliated us because anyone, no matter who, has started targeting us and we became weak; but we cannot do anything contrary to Sayed Muqtada’s orders.”
Radhi Majeed, 37, also of Kufa, said Mahdi Army members ought to be able to respond when attacked.
"He must allow us to defend ourselves when someone accosts us, because another period of suspension will be exploited by the government to target Sadrists, fill the prisons with them and unsettle their families," Majeed said.
Back at the New York Times, Solomon Moore examines Basra post-British 'withdrawal' (they're not gone yet -- in fact four British troops were injured this week at the Basra base):
Yet the city remains deeply troubled. Disappearances of doctors, teachers and other professionals are common, as are some clashes among competing militias, most of which are linked to political parties. Murder victims include judicial investigators, politicians and tribal sheiks. One especially disturbing trend is the slaying of at least 100 women in the last year, according to the police. The Iraqi authorities have blamed Shiite militiamen for many of those killing, saying the militants had probably deemed the women to be impious.
"Most of the killings are done by gunmen in police cars," said Sheik Khadem al-Ribat, a Basra tribal leader who claims no party membership. He spoke of the militias in an antechamber of his downtown mosque, his voice barely above a whisper. "These cars were given to the political parties. There are supposed to be 16,000 policemen, but we see very few of them on the street, and most of the ones we do see are militiamen dressed as police."
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
leila fadel
mcclatchy newspapers
the new york times
richard a. oppel jr.
solomon moore
Friday, February 22, 2008
Iraq snapshot
Friday, February 22, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces another death, Turkey has invaded northern Iraq, and more.
Starting with war resistance. Courage to Resist interviews 24-year-old marine reservist Matt Mishler who has applied for CO (conscientious objector) status. Mishler had a religious awakening and is against wars now. He cites the Sermon on the Mount in explaining how he realized he was a CO: "I don't see serving my God --as doing God's word -- as . . . picking up a rifle and slinging it over my shoulder and walking through Iraq or Afghanistan and shooting other people with rifles and guns that are there." He explains that his beliefs mean he will go to jail before he will deploy. "If they tell me I'm not a conscientious objector it does not make me not a conscientious objector in my mind because that's a decision you make deep down inside yourself. It's not a decision that's up to someone else outside of you. It is a decision that you have to make and believe for yourself. And if you believe in it strong enough and if that is truly your beliefs than just by someone telling you that you're not a conscientious objector does not make you a conscientious objector."
Also interviewed is war resister Robin Long who went to Canada to seek aslyum. "I have no second thoughts at all. This is totally better than having to go to that war torn country and participate in the indiscriminate killing of the Arab people. It saddens me how so many people have been snowballed by it. They just . . . They don't, they don't realize that these people have brothers, they have sisters, they have kids, they have mothers and fathers just like us. And . . . I wouldn't have it any other way. This is -- I made the best decision, I know that. And regardless of what hardships I go through I could have easily put a family or someone else in that country through way more hardships. So I have no regrets." We'll note more from the interview next week but Long, like the other war resisters in Canada, was dealt a set-back when the Canadian Supreme Court refused to hear the appeals of Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey. Today, Canada's Parliament remaining the best hope for safe harbor war resisters have, you can make your voice heard by the Canadian parliament which has the ability to pass legislation to grant war resisters the right to remain in Canada. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC action:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation. Dee Knight (Workers World) notes, "IVAW wants as many people as possible to attend the event. It is planning to provide live broadcasting of the sessions for those who cannot hear the testimony firsthand. 'We have been inspired by the tremendous support the movement has shown us,' IVAW says. 'We believe the success of Winter Soldier will ultimately depend on the support of our allies and the hard work of our members'." As part of their fundraising efforts for the event, they are holding houseparties and a recent one in Boston featured both IVAW's Liam Madden and the incomprable Howard Zinn as speakers. IVAW's co-chair Adam Kokesh will, of course, be participating and he explains why at his site, "But out of a strong sense of duty, some of us are trying to put our experiences to use for a good cause. Some of us couldn't live with ourselves if weren't doing everything we could to bring our brothers and sisters home as soon as possible. The environment may be unking, but that is why I will be testifying to shooting at civilians as a result of changing Rules of Engagement, abuse of detainees, and desecration of Iraqi bodies. It won't be easy but it must be done. Some of the stories are things that are difficult to admit that I was a part of, but if one more veteran realizes that they are not alone because of my testimony it will be worth it."
Son of gun. Cue the double pianos from Carly Simon's "You're So Vain." "Awakening" Councils are no more. The official US term now is "Sons Of Iraq." That was made clear in Col. Tom James' press briefing (via videolink) today at the Pentagon where he repeatedly used the terms "Sons Of Iraq" and "SOIs" repatedly. As to the "DOIs" -- or "Daughters Of Iraq" -- like every other Iraqi woman, they are ignored by the US. When asked about the continued reluctance of the central, puppet government in Baghdad to deal with the "Sons Of Iraq," James explaing the he is "dealing with the SOI program. We have just under 8,000" and he refers ("screened") them to "the Iraqi government and Iraqi security forces . . . for potential employment". So, in other words, the puppet government doesn't want them but the US is adament about forcing them to take them. James claims 'progress' and "positive momentum" on that front. Whether or not the Iraqi government would at some point pay the SOIs is side-stepped by James who only acknowled "that we have paid" their salaries why swearing that that the US would soon "transition them to government institutions".
Meanwhile, Camilla Hall (Bloomberg News) reports Moqtada al-Sadr has extended the truce/cease-fire for another six months today (taking it through August 15th). At his briefing today, James was very 'up' on this news, stating it was "very positive to the security situation. . . this is a very positive situation because al-Sadr understands that a peace and establishing peace in the future is the way to success in Iraq, not violence. And with the senior position that he holds, that will influence an enormous amount of the Shi'a population in AO Vanguard, and we see that as a being a very positive step in securing the security situation that we have now so that we can continue to exploit other things." "Exploit" may be the key word there from the US military's view. But there's also reality. Alexandra Zavis and Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) note, "But in recent days, Sadr's followers, including loyalists in the national Parliament, have complained that their foes have used the cease-fire to try to crush his movement politically and militarily. Until the last minute, they had held out the possibility that Sadr might order his militia back into action." So the real issue isn't al-Sadr now. Having agreed to an extension, he is now out of the picture. He is also out of Baghdad and whether or not the Mahdi Army will continue to listen to him from out of town, while he labors away as a hotel clerk and busies himself with studies, is the real issue at this point. The anger and resentment that has been breeding in the Sadr City section of Baghdad has been doing so without al-Sadr's oversight. How much pull he will have, how much control, is in doubt. Residents of Sadr City have complained of mistreatment and abuses (including raids) throughout the truce/cease-fire and many noises were made by "aides" and "loyalists" throughout (made publicly to the press) that there was no way al-Sadr would renew the truce/cease-fire. He has now done that and how much weight he will have now as someone not living in Sadr City is up in the air. Deborah Haynes (Times of London) reports that his supporters are in the "thousands" and can al-Sadr control "thousands" via communiques he has delivered to mosques? Is he the remote-control leader? Haynes quotes Abu Zahra'a al-Saadi complaining of the cease-fire, "We decided on peace and they decided to put us in jail." "They" refers to "US and Iraqi forces". Despite the reports of al-Sadr being in Najaf (and working a hotel there), AFP notes, "Sadr did not appear publicly at Friday prayers" in Sadr City "and it is not clear where he is now based. Some reports have suggested that he has crossed the border into Iraq's neighbour Iran, but his group would not confirm this." AFP further notes that his announcement "was not universally welcomed by Sadr's supporters" and that goes to the issue that they're living in Sadr City and he isn't. Is he really going to be able to control the area from outside of it? Will a new leader emerge? Will it faction off instead with some following his latest decree and others ignoring it? Those are valid options under any study of resistance or rebellion. Mark Kukis (Time magazine) offers another, "Sadr could just as easily be simply biding his time until surge troops leave in July." At the White House today, flack Scott Stanzel held a press gaggle and declared of the cease-fire/truce, "We welcome any move that forswears violence and encourages peaceful participation. To the extent the announcement today serves to further isolate the groups that are engaging in violence, and to the extent that it helps enhance our intelligence to root out those groups, it's a positive development."
Of greater interest from that press gaggle may be Stanzel's announcement that the US was in 'the loop' of the Turkish military's latest bombings and attacks on the northern region of Iraq. Stanzeld explained, with little prompting other than being asked for his "reaction" to Turkish forces on the ground in Iraq, "Well, as you know, there's an ongoing dialogue between Iraqis and leaders in Turkey about how to best confront the threat of the PKK. We've worked cooperatively with both of our allies on these issues, and worked to make sure that there's regular coordination about how to best confront this threat. So this is something that we were aware of in advance. And as you know, the US agrees with Tukrey that the PKK is a terrorist organization and it is an enemy of Turkey, Iraq, and the United States. And we have demanded that the PKK end their attacks on Turkish soldiers and civilians." Stanzel noted that Turkey was "a NATO ally" which means "we have a longstanding intelligence sharing relationship with Turkey. That was intensified with respect to the PKK as indicated during the meetings between Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip]Erdogan and President Bush." Stanzel further stated that the US government had "urged" that the scope of the invasion be "limit[ed] to precise targetinf ot he PKK" and that the central government in Baghdad was in the loop on the upcoming attack as well.
The invasion and/or attack is described by Leila Fadel and Yassen Taha (McClatchy Newspapers): "Iraqi Kurdish troops on Thursday encircled Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq and threatened to open fire in the most serious standoff between the two nation's forces since Turkey threatened late last year to go after guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party sheltering in Iraq. The standoff began when Turkish troops in tanks and armored vehicles left one of five bases they've had in Iraq since 1997 and moved to control two main roads in Dohuk province, Iraqi officials said. Kurdish soldiers from the peshmerga militia, which is loyal to the Kurdish Regional Government, moved to stop them. For an hour and a half, the two sides faced off before the Turkish soldiers retreated to their base, which is about 27 miles northeast of the city of Dohuk." Apparently the White House forgot to inform the puppet government in Baghdad that the cover story was "We were all told this was coming" because AFP has puppet of the occupation Nouri al-Maliki phoning "Erdogan after the latest incursion was launched to urge him of 'the need to respect Iraq soveriegn authority." Steve Negus and Daniel Dombey (Financial Times of London) observe, "An incursion across the border by Turkish troops has long been in the offing, although it was not immediately clear how big the operation was or how long it would last" and they call it "a blow to the US, which last year made a series of efforts to persuade Turkey not to carry out a large-scale ground incursion." Tim Butcher (Telegraph of London) proclaims it Turkey's "biggest military incursion into the Kurdish north of Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein" while Mark Bentley (Bloomberg News) states it's Turkey's "first major incursion" into in Iraq "in 11 years." China's Xinhua quotes Erdogan declaring, "The TSK will rapidly return to Turkey as soon as it reaches its aims". CBS and AP inform, "U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the escalation. He said he recognized Turkey's need for security, but appealed to Turkey and Iraq to work together to promote peace." Bentley also notes, "Crude oil futures rose as much as 1.2 percent in London because of concern the conflict may disrupt Iraqi oil production. Crude gained as much as $1.14 to $99.37 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange." India's Economic Times also notes the spike in the price of oil and notes it's "related to an incursion into Iraq by Turkish troops." Brian Baskin (Wall St. Journal) opens with, "Crude-oil futures setttled higher Friday, as tensions between Turkey and Iraq and cold weather in the U.S. Northeast snapped oil out of a one-day slump." Despite the long standing tensions and claims by the regional government in northern Iraq (KRG) that they've addressed the issue, Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) explained, "In the snowcapped Qandeel Mountains of northern Iraq, it's hard to see that the Kurdistan Workers Party -- the PKK, as it's known by its Kurdish initials -- has been on the U.S. terrorist list since 2002. Or that President Bush and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government promised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that they'd crack down on the group, which has killed hundreds of Turks in its battle for an independent Kurdish homeland. No Iraqi troops patrol here. PKK men in uniform check the IDs of those who seek to visit. The image of the PKK's leader is emblazoned on a mountain slope, and a sign openly proclaims PKK headquarters. The peshmerga troops of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which officially rules northern Iraq, make no effort to enter. Indeed, there's little evidence in this tiny village inside what the PKK calls the Medya Defense Area that the Kurdish Regional Government has made any effort to cut off the group's supply lines. The regional government paves the roads and buses in teachers from nearby towns. Residents openly watch PKK television, with the sound up loud."
Fadel was noted in yesterday's snapshot for her article on the extra rules being placed on Iraqi Arabas in the northern region of Iraq. One battle in the region is over who will have Kirkuk -- the central government out of Baghdad or northern Iraq. A referendum has long been postponed though the vote will allegedly take place at some point in 2008 (in the meantime, the Kurdish region has been forcing Kurds into Kirkuk in anticipation of the vote -- in anticipation of weighting the vote in their favor -- see Stephen Farrell's December 9, 2007 report for the New York Times). Damien McElroy (Telegraph of London) reports, "Iraq's Kurds are moving towards taking control of the vital oil city of Kirkuk as one of the most explosive disputes bequeathed by Saddam Hussein nears a resolution. The rigs and pipelines around Kirkuk account for about one third of Iraq's oil output, now running at 2.4 million barrels per day" and that's behind the cancellation of Arabs' ration cards in an attempt to force them out of Kirkuk and to settle more Kurds into the area. It won't be deemed violence for decades and even terms like 'resettling' won't be utilized.
In what's recognized as violence taking place today . . .
Bombings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad donkey and cart bombing that claimed 1 life and left four wounded, a Baquba mortar attack that killed 1 six-year-old boy ("4 women and 4 children" wounded) and an Anbar Province bombing attacking "the motorcade of Ameriyah Chief of Police, Major Saadoun Subhi" who was injured in the attack. Reuters notes a bomber blew up near a mosque outside Falluja resulting in the deaths of 6 police officers with nine more injured (the bomber is 1 more death), a Garma bombing that claimed the lives of 2 civilians (and of the bomber), a Tikrit car bombing claimed the lives of 3 police officers (eight more wounded) and also the life of the bomber
Shootings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports unknown assailants shot dead 12-year-old Omar Mohammed, "his two sisters Budur and Seleema, 17 and 20 years old" in Diyala Province.
Corpses?
Reuters notes 2 corpses discovered in Iskandariya.
Today the US military announced: "A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died as the result of a non-combat related illness Feb. 21." The 4,000 mark is now 30 away with the ICCC total standing at 3970 since the start of the illegal war. 26 is the number for the month thus far.
On PBS tonight (in most markets) on Bill Moyers Journal: finds Moyers and company working with PBS' Expose for "a hard and fresh look at how earmarks really work. The broadcast profiles Seattle Times reporters on the trail of how members of Congress have awarded federal dollars for questionable purposes to companies in local Congressional districts -- often to companies whose executives, employees or PACs have made campaign contributions to the legislators. The segment also focuses on how earmarks for some products were added to the defense appropriations bill even in cases in which the military didn't want them in the first place. Example: a $4.56 million patrol boat the Coast Guard hadn't even asked for and decided it couldn't use was eventually given away by the Coast Guard to a California Sherrif's office. David Heath of The Seattle Times says: 'They're selling a product to the military that they're not even using.' The segment will available for viewing before the broadcast at [Expose] and airs on Bill Moyers Journal Friday, February 22. Viewers can post questions for Seattle Times reporters after the broadcast at The Moyers Blog at [Bill Moyers Journal]. Expose will premiere a new episode one Friday per month as part of Bill Moyers Journal, which airs Friday at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)." Important for community members : As noted repeatedly (for instance here) The Nation decided the best way to kick off 2007 was with a book review by a Pig who wanted to talk about visiting bordellos in Afghanistan while also slamming Sarah Chayes and Ann Jones -- 'emotional' and 'conspiracy' blah blah blah. That nonsense offended many. Tonight (in most markets), you can watch Moyers interview Chayes about Afghanistan. So in addition to the segment already noted, you'll be able to enjoy that. Mentioning Chayes allows me to squeeze in that Ann Jones' latest article, "The War Against Women," is up at Mother Jones.
Independent journalist and artist David Bacon covers the the workers of Pacific Steel picketing outside a Berkeley City Council against a measure that might lead to Pacific Steel's closure. In addition, his photo exhibit has one more day at Galeria de la Raza (2857 24th St, San Francisco 94110). That's "Living under the trees" "Viviendo bajo los arboles." and February 23rd is supposed to be the last day at that gallery.
In a correction to yesterday's snapshot, the KPFA special was not live of the debate. My apologies. The special itself (the not-so-special -- except in a very bad way) was noted here at length including the booking of only pro-Obama guests while KPFA pretended that they were having an open discussion about a debate with two candidates. It was a joke. It was an embarassment and Larry Bensky couldn't even shut up long enough to take the calls that were promised to make up the broadcast's final hours. Instead, listeners were shut out. Along with the glee Laura Flanders took in distorting Hillary Clinton (she's a funny sort of feminist, that Laura Flanders, but she's a funny sort of out lesbian as well), there was Tom Hayden betting his future on two lines by Bambi. Most telling was the KPFA blog that they they created for the live broadcast. They appear to think it's gone and vanished but it's not. You know where to go to Sunday to see it.
leila fadel
Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
Other Items
Iraqi Kurdish troops on Thursday encircled Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq and threatened to open fire in the most serious standoff between the two nation's forces since Turkey threatened late last year to go after guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party sheltering in Iraq.
The standoff began when Turkish troops in tanks and armored vehicles left one of five bases they've had in Iraq since 1997 and moved to control two main roads in Dohuk province, Iraqi officials said.
Kurdish soldiers from the peshmerga militia, which is loyal to the Kurdish Regional Government, moved to stop them. For an hour and a half, the two sides faced off before the Turkish soldiers retreated to their base, which is about 27 miles northeast of the city of Dohuk. The peshmerga surrounded the base and remained there late Thursday.
The Turkish troop movement was accompanied by artillery and airstrikes that targeted mountain areas held by rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is known by its initials as the PKK. A spokesman for the peshmerga, Jabar Yawar, said the shelling began at about 11 a.m. and continued past midnight. Two bridges were knocked out over the Great Zab River, he said.
The above is from Leila Fadel and Yassen Taha's "Kurdish troops surround Turks in worth confrontation yet in Iraq" (McClatchy Newspapers). If you're wondering where the New York Times is, A6 -- the usual "Iraq page" -- contains nothing filed from Iraq. Nor is anything in the news section filed from Iraq. No article wondering if al-Sadr will extend the truce/cease-fire. No article on the refugee crisis (Lebanon must not be news to them, though they could have easily worked yesterday's news to slam Lebanon -- something the paper enjoys -- since Iraqis hadn't been released from Lebanon jails yet). Nothing on the two announcements (of the deaths of US service members) yesterday. There are a number of topics (see yesterday's snapshot) that a paper spending millions on Iraq coverage could have teased into a story -- especially a paper in the midst of layoffs and force-outs. In terms of the above excerpt, there is a pattern of the Turkish military making claims and the central government in Baghdad denying them so when the reporters are based in the Green Zone, it's not surprising the Times takes a pass on that story. Fadel also offers "Kurdish rebels still control Iraqi mountain redoubts:"
In the snowcapped Qandeel Mountains of northern Iraq, it's hard to see that the Kurdistan Workers Party -- the PKK, as it's known by its Kurdish initials — has been on the U.S. terrorist list since 2002.
Or that President Bush and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government promised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that they'd crack down on the group, which has killed hundreds of Turks in its battle for an independent Kurdish homeland.
No Iraqi troops patrol here. PKK men in uniform check the IDs of those who seek to visit. The image of the PKK's leader is emblazoned on a mountain slope, and a sign openly proclaims PKK headquarters. The peshmerga troops of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which officially rules northern Iraq, make no effort to enter.
Indeed, there's little evidence in this tiny village inside what the PKK calls the Medya Defense Area that the Kurdish Regional Government has made any effort to cut off the group's supply lines. The regional government paves the roads and buses in teachers from nearby towns. Residents openly watch PKK television, with the sound up loud.
Meanwhile Reuters reports a bombing outside Falluja that's claimed the lives of "at least six policemen and wounded nine others," a car bombing in Tikrit that claimed the lives of 3 police officers (eight more wounded), 2 corpses discovered in Iskandariya and a Baghdad bombing that has "killed at least one person and wounded four others".
Tonight (in most markets) on Bill Moyers Journal:
Bill Moyers Journal and the PBS series Expose: America's Investigative Reports offer a hard and fresh look at how earmarks really work.
Watch a preview. The broadcast profiles Seattle Times reporters on the trail of how members of Congress have awarded federal dollars for questionable purposes to companies in local Congressional districts -- often to companies whose executives, employees or PACs have made campaign contributions to the legislators. The segment also focuses on how earmarks for some products were added to the defense appropriations bill even in cases in which the military didn't want them in the first place. Example: a $4.65 million patrol boat the Coast Guard hadn't even asked for and decided it couldn't use was eventually given away by the Coast Guard to a California Sheriff's office. David Heath of the Seattle Times says: "They're selling a product to the military that they're not even using."
The segment will available for viewing before the broadcast at www.pbs.org/expose and airs on Bill Moyers Journal Friday, February 22. Viewers can post questions for Seattle Times reporters after the broadcast at The Moyers Blog at www.pbs.org/moyers. Expose will premiere a new episode one Friday per month as part of Bill Moyers Journal, which airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
leila fadel
mcclatchy newspapers
bill moyers
bill moyers journal
pbs
The standoff began when Turkish troops in tanks and armored vehicles left one of five bases they've had in Iraq since 1997 and moved to control two main roads in Dohuk province, Iraqi officials said.
Kurdish soldiers from the peshmerga militia, which is loyal to the Kurdish Regional Government, moved to stop them. For an hour and a half, the two sides faced off before the Turkish soldiers retreated to their base, which is about 27 miles northeast of the city of Dohuk. The peshmerga surrounded the base and remained there late Thursday.
The Turkish troop movement was accompanied by artillery and airstrikes that targeted mountain areas held by rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is known by its initials as the PKK. A spokesman for the peshmerga, Jabar Yawar, said the shelling began at about 11 a.m. and continued past midnight. Two bridges were knocked out over the Great Zab River, he said.
The above is from Leila Fadel and Yassen Taha's "Kurdish troops surround Turks in worth confrontation yet in Iraq" (McClatchy Newspapers). If you're wondering where the New York Times is, A6 -- the usual "Iraq page" -- contains nothing filed from Iraq. Nor is anything in the news section filed from Iraq. No article wondering if al-Sadr will extend the truce/cease-fire. No article on the refugee crisis (Lebanon must not be news to them, though they could have easily worked yesterday's news to slam Lebanon -- something the paper enjoys -- since Iraqis hadn't been released from Lebanon jails yet). Nothing on the two announcements (of the deaths of US service members) yesterday. There are a number of topics (see yesterday's snapshot) that a paper spending millions on Iraq coverage could have teased into a story -- especially a paper in the midst of layoffs and force-outs. In terms of the above excerpt, there is a pattern of the Turkish military making claims and the central government in Baghdad denying them so when the reporters are based in the Green Zone, it's not surprising the Times takes a pass on that story. Fadel also offers "Kurdish rebels still control Iraqi mountain redoubts:"
In the snowcapped Qandeel Mountains of northern Iraq, it's hard to see that the Kurdistan Workers Party -- the PKK, as it's known by its Kurdish initials — has been on the U.S. terrorist list since 2002.
Or that President Bush and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government promised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that they'd crack down on the group, which has killed hundreds of Turks in its battle for an independent Kurdish homeland.
No Iraqi troops patrol here. PKK men in uniform check the IDs of those who seek to visit. The image of the PKK's leader is emblazoned on a mountain slope, and a sign openly proclaims PKK headquarters. The peshmerga troops of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which officially rules northern Iraq, make no effort to enter.
Indeed, there's little evidence in this tiny village inside what the PKK calls the Medya Defense Area that the Kurdish Regional Government has made any effort to cut off the group's supply lines. The regional government paves the roads and buses in teachers from nearby towns. Residents openly watch PKK television, with the sound up loud.
Meanwhile Reuters reports a bombing outside Falluja that's claimed the lives of "at least six policemen and wounded nine others," a car bombing in Tikrit that claimed the lives of 3 police officers (eight more wounded), 2 corpses discovered in Iskandariya and a Baghdad bombing that has "killed at least one person and wounded four others".
Tonight (in most markets) on Bill Moyers Journal:
Bill Moyers Journal and the PBS series Expose: America's Investigative Reports offer a hard and fresh look at how earmarks really work.
Watch a preview
The segment will available for viewing before the broadcast at www.pbs.org/expose and airs on Bill Moyers Journal Friday, February 22. Viewers can post questions for Seattle Times reporters after the broadcast at The Moyers Blog at www.pbs.org/moyers. Expose will premiere a new episode one Friday per month as part of Bill Moyers Journal, which airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
leila fadel
mcclatchy newspapers
bill moyers
bill moyers journal
pbs
The US military announces under death
Today the US military announced: "A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died as the result of a non-combat related illness Feb. 21." The 4,000 mark is now 30 away with the ICCC total standing at 3970 since the start of the illegal war. 26 is the number for the month thus far.
Meanwhile Camilla Hall (Bloomberg News) reports that the cease-fire/truce has been renewed:
Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army to renew for six months a cease-fire that has enabled coalition forces to concentrate on pushing al-Qaeda out of Iraq.
The militia's half-year cease-fire, due to expire at the end of this month, will be extended, state television cited al-Sadr aide Sheik Hazim al-Araji as saying today. The cessation of activities will last for around another six months, ending on the the 15th day of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, Shaban, which falls in mid-August, al-Araji said.
Mahdi Army leader al-Sadr was under pressure to end the cease-fire from followers who alleged the U.S. was exploiting the relative calm to arrest militia members. The suspension of attacks was declared Aug. 29 after the group was accused of involvement in clashes at a shrine that left 52 people dead.
Pay attention to the second paragraph. From Alexandra Zavis and Tina Susman's Los Angeles Times report on the same announcement:
But in recent days, Sadr's followers, including loyalists in the national Parliament, have complained that their foes have used the cease-fire to try to crush his movement politically and militarily. Until the last minute, they had held out the possibility that Sadr might order his militia back into action.
The U.S. military said the renewal of the cease-fire would contribute to further security improvements and would allow U.S. and Iraqi forces to concentrate on pursuing the Sunni militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq.It promised in a statement to treat those who honor Sadr's pledge with "respect and restraint," but said it would pursue elements who continue to wage attacks.
So can a hotel clerk (al-Sadr) seen as increasingly out of it (as he focuses on his studies) hold a second truce/cease-fire when his followers up in an uproar about their perceived treatment in Baghdad? That would be the city that al-Sadr left. That's what's going to be interesting to watch. al-Sadr is no longer in Baghdad. Many of his followers remain in Sadr City (a section of Baghdad) and they voice their displeasure more and more vocally. Are they going to go along with an extended truce called by someone not even in the area?
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
tina susman
the los angeles times
alexandra zavis
Meanwhile Camilla Hall (Bloomberg News) reports that the cease-fire/truce has been renewed:
Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army to renew for six months a cease-fire that has enabled coalition forces to concentrate on pushing al-Qaeda out of Iraq.
The militia's half-year cease-fire, due to expire at the end of this month, will be extended, state television cited al-Sadr aide Sheik Hazim al-Araji as saying today. The cessation of activities will last for around another six months, ending on the the 15th day of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, Shaban, which falls in mid-August, al-Araji said.
Mahdi Army leader al-Sadr was under pressure to end the cease-fire from followers who alleged the U.S. was exploiting the relative calm to arrest militia members. The suspension of attacks was declared Aug. 29 after the group was accused of involvement in clashes at a shrine that left 52 people dead.
Pay attention to the second paragraph. From Alexandra Zavis and Tina Susman's Los Angeles Times report on the same announcement:
But in recent days, Sadr's followers, including loyalists in the national Parliament, have complained that their foes have used the cease-fire to try to crush his movement politically and militarily. Until the last minute, they had held out the possibility that Sadr might order his militia back into action.
The U.S. military said the renewal of the cease-fire would contribute to further security improvements and would allow U.S. and Iraqi forces to concentrate on pursuing the Sunni militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq.It promised in a statement to treat those who honor Sadr's pledge with "respect and restraint," but said it would pursue elements who continue to wage attacks.
So can a hotel clerk (al-Sadr) seen as increasingly out of it (as he focuses on his studies) hold a second truce/cease-fire when his followers up in an uproar about their perceived treatment in Baghdad? That would be the city that al-Sadr left. That's what's going to be interesting to watch. al-Sadr is no longer in Baghdad. Many of his followers remain in Sadr City (a section of Baghdad) and they voice their displeasure more and more vocally. Are they going to go along with an extended truce called by someone not even in the area?
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
tina susman
the los angeles times
alexandra zavis
Thursday, February 21, 2008
I Hate The War
7:44
[Comment From Two Things] I want to know why KPFA has two 'experts' commenting who both support Obama. That's not free speech. I want Laura Flanders on the record explaining why it's okay that Barack Obama used homophobia in South Carolina by putting four homophobes on stage for an event and letting the 'ex gay' preach the 'evils' of homosexuality.
7:46
[Comment From Ralph] I agree that homophobia needs to be addressed. This is San Francisco for God's sake. If we can't get talk about Obama using homophobia, then no one can. And isn't Laura Flanders gay?
That's from the KPFA blogging of the debate. First off, my apologies, I learned of the broadcast this afternoon when a friend at KPFA called me and asked if I could include it in the snapshot. Since KPFA will be carrying IVAW's March action (the Winter Soldiers Investigation), I included it. It was not live, as I wrongly stated it would be in the snapshot. My apologies to anyone bothered by that. That's not what community members are bothered by. What they're bothered by is the sort of thing above which Zach copied and pasted and then e-mailed.
Yes, Laura Flanders is gay -- out to the gay press if not the mainstream -- and sorry "Two Topics" and Ralph, she's avoided ever noting the use of homophobia all along. She's played dumb like the good Uncle Tom of the LGBT community.
The "experts" issue. Mike called me to ask who the man was. He had the name wrong (on the phone, he corrects it in his post). What you're hearing on KPFA is how Little Media LIES for Obama over and over. Mike watched the debate and enjoyed it. The commenatry he's heard from Laura Flanders and the other 'expert' had him pack it in on blogging tonight.
Why? Because they LIE.
And they get away with it. And they can pull this crap elsewhere, but it should never go down on KPFA. KPFA has Laura Flanders and Clarence Lusane as commentators on the debate. They're on to chat with Larry Bensky, sharing their 'keen' and 'impartial' 'insights' into the debate. What Larry didn't tell the listeners was that KPFA booked two Obama supporters -- public supporters, look up his columns, and that's supposed to provide commentary? That's supposed to pass fairness?
They're also bringing on Tom Hayden tonight at some point. Another Bambi lover. And I'll leave it at that on Tom or I will rip him apart.
Paraphrase of Larry Benksy, "I don't think either of these candidates showed and really CNN didn't give them the chance to say . . . this [Iraq War] has got to be dealt with at the top of the agenda."
Tom says Hillary refuses to set any deadline for combat troops withdrawal. He claims Bambi has a plan for 16 months. And then Tom runs to Bambi's nonsense in Houston yesterday. Tom's already milked it for a column so let's note Bambi's statements that has Tom so excited in full:
"I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009!"
That's it. Bambi's focused on combat troops (and told the New York Times -- though Tom missed it when penning his valentine to Bambi at first and then came back trying to justify it after he saw the transcript -- that he would send combat troops back into Iraq). If you're focused on "combat" troops then the illegal war can end while US troops remain in Iraq. Remain forever, in fact. Because a "war" requires "combat." What Bambi -- and this is true of Hillary as well -- has repeatedly stated is that US service members will remain in Iraq as "police" and "trainers." If you're not getting it, neither candidate is promising an end to the illegal war. If you want to be technical, the removal of "combat" troops does end the illegal war. If you want to be realistic, it doesn't.
His comment -- the two sentences that has Tom so excited -- are in keeping with Bambi's 'plan' which is a non-plan for ending the illegal war. There is no substance in those two lines. But Tom "I'll Hold Their Feet To The Fire!" (days after endorsing Bambi) goes ga-ga over the two sentences. That's not holding anyone's feet to the fire. It's insulting that Tom thinks he can dupe people but it is insulting that KPFA has three commentators on with Larry Bensky to comment on the debate -- a debate between two candidates -- and all three commentators are supporting the same candidate -- have been publicly supporting the same candidate. That's not free speech radio and that's not why Lewis Hill created KPFA.
This is how Little Media has functioned throughout. And Bob Somerby has ignored it. We're on campuses, Ava and I, every week. We know where the students are getting their information. It's The Daily Show and it's Little Media. They're not watching Chris Matthews or the chat and chews. It is a huge mistake to avoid following Little Media and Little Media has stacked the deck throughout. You can read Ava and my piece on the non-ethical Democracy Now! and see how Amy Goodman books. She books by bringing on 'independent' media that slams Hillary. They are solo guests: Robert Parry, Ari Berman, etc. There is no need to 'balance' them. One critic of Obama is invited on, Glen Ford (Black Agenda Report), and he doesn't get a solo spot -- instead he's pitted against Bambi supporter Michael Eric Dyson.
This has happened repeatedly. Hillary Haters are brought on as the solo guest and it's time to carve her up. Bambi supporters are brought on solo and allowed to praise him through the roof.
Professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell was brought at the end of one week where she was just a professor and wasn't supporting anyone. She did, surprise, catch a speech Obama gave and she praised it through the roof. But just as a professor.
The following Monday, she's back (to try to trash Gloria Steinem) and suddenly, she and Goodman are revealing on air that she supports Bambi, that she's part of the campaign.
That didn't happen over the weekend. And Amy Goodman knew it (from their Jesse Jackson radio show appearances only if you want to stick to the public record only) before she ever booked Melissa Harris-Lacewell to appear. She knew it when she brought Harris-Lacewell on air as just a professor. She had so little respect for her profession or for her audience that she didn't do the basics of disclosing that Harris-Lacewell was part of the Obama campaign.
Now Harris-Lacewell should be in hot water as well because she's at a university and what she did is the equivalent of academic fraud. She was on the program the first time promoting a college program. It was incumbent upon her, as representative of Princeton, to disclose she was part of the Obama campaign. It only became more important when she used her time to praise Obama: "I was in Nashua at Barack Obama's really packed speech. And we got there about two hours early and stood in line. I had my five-year-old daughter with me, and she stood in line that whole time. Along with me was lots of other older people who were using canes, young people, infants. And it was an incredibly moving and powerful experience. And also, again, just sort of--it was a cross between, you know, the 'I Have a Dream' speech and a high school football pep rally. It was a bizarre, but really kind of exciting mixture."
She was on the program to promote a college program, she was a guest on it in her academic role. She used her time to promote the candidate she was campaigning for. She never disclosed that fact on air. Her ass should be canned and in a real world, where ethics mattered, it would be. That's academic fraud. When you're a professor, the standards you are held to do not just apply to a written paper you read at an academic conference. She was on to promote the college's program and she was not above board and she did not disclose conflicts of interest. That is academic fraud.
Laura Flanders just declared that today was the first day of early voting in Texas. Apparently facts aren't as important as her self-amused and pompous chuckle. Early voting started in Texas on Tuesday. Why do I know that when Laura Flanders doesn't? Because Laura makes up her 'facts' as she goes along.
But facts don't matter. Flanders can try to weasel with "I said 'I think'!" But she knew she was going to be a commentator and something as basic as when voting started in a state the debate took place in was required knowledge on her part.
Little Media has fueled Hillary Hatred. No surprise, it's a sexist medium. Bensky's on tonight solo. No female co-host. Maybe a good thing after his mocking and disrespectful on air treatment of Deepa Fernades when she co-hosted a live Congressional broadcast with him. Maybe not surprising after his dropping out of a week long's Supreme Court confirmation hearing because he couldn't get along with Verna Avery Brown. Maybe not surprising when he was talking over Aimee Allison at the Green Party debate. It wasn't enough that he was a questioner on the panel, he also had to talk over (as radio announcer) her opening statements (by providing the same information -- though not word for word that Aimee was providing). Don't forget that Women's History Month starts next month and there will be no rush to air specials. KPFA will throw out a segment or too on The Morning Show (if record holds) and we'll all pretend that cuts it. It doesn't cut it. But they get away with that crap over and over.
I believe Amy Goodman did segments on Women's History Month . . . in 1997 and 2001.
That probably cuts it for Amy Goodman. That's noting Women's History Month to her. Again, Amy Goodman isn't a feminist and she's not even pro-woman. She published in H**tler and that tells you all you need to know.
As demonstrated on KPFA tonight, when you only book pro-Bambi guests (Bob Fritakis joined for a segment as did Lou Duboise, both are pro-Bambi), you only get one side. Flanders and Lusane were on for the whole broadcast after the opening report from a KPFT reporter in Austin. The entire Democratic Party is not for Bambi. Hillary has had stronger support from Democrats and this is a Democratic primary. KPFA tonight offered what Little Media has done all along: stack the deck in Bambi's favor. And all the people scratching their heads in wonder about Bambi's 'youth' movement fail to grasp that Little Media has acted as a CULT for Bambi.
KPFA did so tonight. There were no kind words for Hillary. On areas where Hillary is stronger (such as health care), you got commentators (Flanders in this case) saying they're both weak. That passed for 'fairness' and apparently 'praise.' Hillary couldn't cut a break. And the reason for that is because of how the deck has been stacked.
Let's examine some of what's gone on. Asked about the grand design missing in the candidates, Laura Flanders responds, "I'll tell you what grand design is missing on the Clinton side . . ." Big surprise there; however, she was asked about both candidates. She went straight to what's wrong with Hillary. Earlier, because Hillary does have experience, it was time for Flanders to discredit that record. "How looong she's been in the trenches," whined *Laura* -- "long" dripping with sarcasm. She then holds Clinton to a standard by comparing Hillary to George McGovern. She doesn't do that with Barack Obama. She doesn't mock him. [Added: 2-22-08 by Jim, as Megan points out in an e-mail today, Flanders comments re: McGovern appear to borrow heavily from the remarks C.I. made about McGovern in the roundtable Sunday. Only C.I. didn't make the remarks to attack one candidate as Flanders did.] Asked about Cuba, she offers her cheap laugh at Hillary and then offers sarcastically, "Can you tell the difference?"
Here's what I can't tell the difference between: Lesbian Laura Flanders and a right-wing homophobe. She -- as noted on the KPFA blog -- has never called out Bambi for using homophobia as a campaign strategy. How much self-hatred does that woman have? How little self-respect does she have?
Now the 'youth' movement hasn't been confronted with the use of homophobia. They've been spared it because Little Media elected to stay silent on it. [C.I. note 2-22-08, "*Laura Flanders* corrected from "Hillary." Laura Flanders whined: "How looong she's been in the trenches."]
Bill Clinton was correct, the narrative of Bambi is a fairy tale. Once upon a time, in 2004, sprung from the head of 2004 Democratic National Convention fully formed, Bambi was born.
"The genius of the Obama campaign" Flanders is blathering on about now. Well, remember that, when campaigning in the future. You can use homophobia and be a Democratic candidate. You can use it and you won't be called out for it ever. Certainly not by the so-called left.
You can offer two weak-ass sentences in Houston, Texas and have Tom Hayden praise you through the roof as if you'd just said "Troops Home Now!" Bambi didn't even say anything different. His two sentences are about combat troops. That's it. And we don't get that truth. We gets LIES from LIARS. And this has gone on and on in Little Media for months and months.
The special is now over and Larry Bensky never asked about homophobia. There's no reason for him to ever again host in the Bay Area. That's now reality. No one needs him or his tired ass again. He is a sexist and he's signaled that homophobia isn't a topic worth exploring. He doesn't belong on air. He's old, he's tired. He's retired. Give it to Aimee Allison. She's run for office. She speaks on campuses. She knows what's going on. He is the past, she is the future.
Didn't we hear that theme throughout the special? Laura pimped it hard, Lou pimped it hard, how people over forty were the past. Having promoted that over and over then it's time to take Larry's tired ass off air. Another reason to take him off now? He gave out the phone number for call-ins once and only once at the start of the last hour. He never took callers' phone calls, nor did he ever give out the phone number again. It was more important that Larry ask what he wanted to ask than that a national audience participate by dialing 1-800-958-9088 -- yes, it was a toll free number. [C.I. Correction: 2-28-08: One phone call was taken, Ava and I cover it in "Radio: Panhandle Media."]Equally true is that Uncle Tom Flanders was the only female commentator -- the KPFT reporter wasn't a commenator, she was reporting and they went with what was there from Pacifica, what was there in Austin. Equally true is that for all the talk of the 'youth,' you didn't hear a young voice once. It was pure crap, make no mistake. It was an embarrassing broadcast and shameful for KPFA.
We didn't get a discussion on the illegal war. We got slams at Hillary for her 2002 vote. The 2002 vote did not start the illegal war. A) The Iraq War is illegal it is not authorized. Those 'olders' so quickly dismissed today grasped what Congressional authorization was and wasn't during Vietnam. B) If it was authorization, it was gross misconduct on the White House's part to be given a declaration of war in September 2002 and not begin it until March 2003. There was no authorization. But we don't get realities about the illegal war. We don't get realities at all. We get Little Media pimping non-stop for one candidate. One who has not pledged to end the illegal war.
It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)
Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 3960. Tonight? 3969. Thirty-one away from the 4,000 mark. But you wouldn't know that to listen to what passed for commentary tonight on KPFA. Instead you got Bambi the anti-war warrior based on two sentences (that do not contradict his earlier plan). Laura wanted to slam Hillary (but not Bambi) and use the term "shrivled" to contrast 1972 and today. Was Laura even in this country in 1972? Amnesty for war resisters (so-called 'draft dodgers' and 'deserters') was an issue in 1972. It should have been worthy of a sentence on a KPFA broadcast. It wasn't. The illegal war is not something Little Media is going to fight to end and why should they when they've turned it into a campaign strategy for their candidate of choice? They lie, flat out LIE, and act as though the 2002 Congressional vote was an "authorization." It wasn't. That is among the reasons the Iraq War is illegal. And during Vietnam, we were smart enough to seize upon that point. Congress never approved a war with Vietnam. Equally true, they never approved a war with Iraq. But reality takes a backseat to one candidate and that's why there is nothing "alternative" or "independent" about Little Media. It's why it's a non-stop echo chamber repeating lies and distortions. And if you hate the war, you should hate the crap KPFA broadcast tonight.
iraq
i hate the war
the ballet
bruce dixon
laura flanders
tom hayden
kpfa
larry benksy
[Comment From Two Things] I want to know why KPFA has two 'experts' commenting who both support Obama. That's not free speech. I want Laura Flanders on the record explaining why it's okay that Barack Obama used homophobia in South Carolina by putting four homophobes on stage for an event and letting the 'ex gay' preach the 'evils' of homosexuality.
7:46
[Comment From Ralph] I agree that homophobia needs to be addressed. This is San Francisco for God's sake. If we can't get talk about Obama using homophobia, then no one can. And isn't Laura Flanders gay?
That's from the KPFA blogging of the debate. First off, my apologies, I learned of the broadcast this afternoon when a friend at KPFA called me and asked if I could include it in the snapshot. Since KPFA will be carrying IVAW's March action (the Winter Soldiers Investigation), I included it. It was not live, as I wrongly stated it would be in the snapshot. My apologies to anyone bothered by that. That's not what community members are bothered by. What they're bothered by is the sort of thing above which Zach copied and pasted and then e-mailed.
Yes, Laura Flanders is gay -- out to the gay press if not the mainstream -- and sorry "Two Topics" and Ralph, she's avoided ever noting the use of homophobia all along. She's played dumb like the good Uncle Tom of the LGBT community.
The "experts" issue. Mike called me to ask who the man was. He had the name wrong (on the phone, he corrects it in his post). What you're hearing on KPFA is how Little Media LIES for Obama over and over. Mike watched the debate and enjoyed it. The commenatry he's heard from Laura Flanders and the other 'expert' had him pack it in on blogging tonight.
Why? Because they LIE.
And they get away with it. And they can pull this crap elsewhere, but it should never go down on KPFA. KPFA has Laura Flanders and Clarence Lusane as commentators on the debate. They're on to chat with Larry Bensky, sharing their 'keen' and 'impartial' 'insights' into the debate. What Larry didn't tell the listeners was that KPFA booked two Obama supporters -- public supporters, look up his columns, and that's supposed to provide commentary? That's supposed to pass fairness?
They're also bringing on Tom Hayden tonight at some point. Another Bambi lover. And I'll leave it at that on Tom or I will rip him apart.
Paraphrase of Larry Benksy, "I don't think either of these candidates showed and really CNN didn't give them the chance to say . . . this [Iraq War] has got to be dealt with at the top of the agenda."
Tom says Hillary refuses to set any deadline for combat troops withdrawal. He claims Bambi has a plan for 16 months. And then Tom runs to Bambi's nonsense in Houston yesterday. Tom's already milked it for a column so let's note Bambi's statements that has Tom so excited in full:
"I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009!"
That's it. Bambi's focused on combat troops (and told the New York Times -- though Tom missed it when penning his valentine to Bambi at first and then came back trying to justify it after he saw the transcript -- that he would send combat troops back into Iraq). If you're focused on "combat" troops then the illegal war can end while US troops remain in Iraq. Remain forever, in fact. Because a "war" requires "combat." What Bambi -- and this is true of Hillary as well -- has repeatedly stated is that US service members will remain in Iraq as "police" and "trainers." If you're not getting it, neither candidate is promising an end to the illegal war. If you want to be technical, the removal of "combat" troops does end the illegal war. If you want to be realistic, it doesn't.
His comment -- the two sentences that has Tom so excited -- are in keeping with Bambi's 'plan' which is a non-plan for ending the illegal war. There is no substance in those two lines. But Tom "I'll Hold Their Feet To The Fire!" (days after endorsing Bambi) goes ga-ga over the two sentences. That's not holding anyone's feet to the fire. It's insulting that Tom thinks he can dupe people but it is insulting that KPFA has three commentators on with Larry Bensky to comment on the debate -- a debate between two candidates -- and all three commentators are supporting the same candidate -- have been publicly supporting the same candidate. That's not free speech radio and that's not why Lewis Hill created KPFA.
This is how Little Media has functioned throughout. And Bob Somerby has ignored it. We're on campuses, Ava and I, every week. We know where the students are getting their information. It's The Daily Show and it's Little Media. They're not watching Chris Matthews or the chat and chews. It is a huge mistake to avoid following Little Media and Little Media has stacked the deck throughout. You can read Ava and my piece on the non-ethical Democracy Now! and see how Amy Goodman books. She books by bringing on 'independent' media that slams Hillary. They are solo guests: Robert Parry, Ari Berman, etc. There is no need to 'balance' them. One critic of Obama is invited on, Glen Ford (Black Agenda Report), and he doesn't get a solo spot -- instead he's pitted against Bambi supporter Michael Eric Dyson.
This has happened repeatedly. Hillary Haters are brought on as the solo guest and it's time to carve her up. Bambi supporters are brought on solo and allowed to praise him through the roof.
Professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell was brought at the end of one week where she was just a professor and wasn't supporting anyone. She did, surprise, catch a speech Obama gave and she praised it through the roof. But just as a professor.
The following Monday, she's back (to try to trash Gloria Steinem) and suddenly, she and Goodman are revealing on air that she supports Bambi, that she's part of the campaign.
That didn't happen over the weekend. And Amy Goodman knew it (from their Jesse Jackson radio show appearances only if you want to stick to the public record only) before she ever booked Melissa Harris-Lacewell to appear. She knew it when she brought Harris-Lacewell on air as just a professor. She had so little respect for her profession or for her audience that she didn't do the basics of disclosing that Harris-Lacewell was part of the Obama campaign.
Now Harris-Lacewell should be in hot water as well because she's at a university and what she did is the equivalent of academic fraud. She was on the program the first time promoting a college program. It was incumbent upon her, as representative of Princeton, to disclose she was part of the Obama campaign. It only became more important when she used her time to praise Obama: "I was in Nashua at Barack Obama's really packed speech. And we got there about two hours early and stood in line. I had my five-year-old daughter with me, and she stood in line that whole time. Along with me was lots of other older people who were using canes, young people, infants. And it was an incredibly moving and powerful experience. And also, again, just sort of--it was a cross between, you know, the 'I Have a Dream' speech and a high school football pep rally. It was a bizarre, but really kind of exciting mixture."
She was on the program to promote a college program, she was a guest on it in her academic role. She used her time to promote the candidate she was campaigning for. She never disclosed that fact on air. Her ass should be canned and in a real world, where ethics mattered, it would be. That's academic fraud. When you're a professor, the standards you are held to do not just apply to a written paper you read at an academic conference. She was on to promote the college's program and she was not above board and she did not disclose conflicts of interest. That is academic fraud.
Laura Flanders just declared that today was the first day of early voting in Texas. Apparently facts aren't as important as her self-amused and pompous chuckle. Early voting started in Texas on Tuesday. Why do I know that when Laura Flanders doesn't? Because Laura makes up her 'facts' as she goes along.
But facts don't matter. Flanders can try to weasel with "I said 'I think'!" But she knew she was going to be a commentator and something as basic as when voting started in a state the debate took place in was required knowledge on her part.
Little Media has fueled Hillary Hatred. No surprise, it's a sexist medium. Bensky's on tonight solo. No female co-host. Maybe a good thing after his mocking and disrespectful on air treatment of Deepa Fernades when she co-hosted a live Congressional broadcast with him. Maybe not surprising after his dropping out of a week long's Supreme Court confirmation hearing because he couldn't get along with Verna Avery Brown. Maybe not surprising when he was talking over Aimee Allison at the Green Party debate. It wasn't enough that he was a questioner on the panel, he also had to talk over (as radio announcer) her opening statements (by providing the same information -- though not word for word that Aimee was providing). Don't forget that Women's History Month starts next month and there will be no rush to air specials. KPFA will throw out a segment or too on The Morning Show (if record holds) and we'll all pretend that cuts it. It doesn't cut it. But they get away with that crap over and over.
I believe Amy Goodman did segments on Women's History Month . . . in 1997 and 2001.
That probably cuts it for Amy Goodman. That's noting Women's History Month to her. Again, Amy Goodman isn't a feminist and she's not even pro-woman. She published in H**tler and that tells you all you need to know.
As demonstrated on KPFA tonight, when you only book pro-Bambi guests (Bob Fritakis joined for a segment as did Lou Duboise, both are pro-Bambi), you only get one side. Flanders and Lusane were on for the whole broadcast after the opening report from a KPFT reporter in Austin. The entire Democratic Party is not for Bambi. Hillary has had stronger support from Democrats and this is a Democratic primary. KPFA tonight offered what Little Media has done all along: stack the deck in Bambi's favor. And all the people scratching their heads in wonder about Bambi's 'youth' movement fail to grasp that Little Media has acted as a CULT for Bambi.
KPFA did so tonight. There were no kind words for Hillary. On areas where Hillary is stronger (such as health care), you got commentators (Flanders in this case) saying they're both weak. That passed for 'fairness' and apparently 'praise.' Hillary couldn't cut a break. And the reason for that is because of how the deck has been stacked.
Let's examine some of what's gone on. Asked about the grand design missing in the candidates, Laura Flanders responds, "I'll tell you what grand design is missing on the Clinton side . . ." Big surprise there; however, she was asked about both candidates. She went straight to what's wrong with Hillary. Earlier, because Hillary does have experience, it was time for Flanders to discredit that record. "How looong she's been in the trenches," whined *Laura* -- "long" dripping with sarcasm. She then holds Clinton to a standard by comparing Hillary to George McGovern. She doesn't do that with Barack Obama. She doesn't mock him. [Added: 2-22-08 by Jim, as Megan points out in an e-mail today, Flanders comments re: McGovern appear to borrow heavily from the remarks C.I. made about McGovern in the roundtable Sunday. Only C.I. didn't make the remarks to attack one candidate as Flanders did.] Asked about Cuba, she offers her cheap laugh at Hillary and then offers sarcastically, "Can you tell the difference?"
Here's what I can't tell the difference between: Lesbian Laura Flanders and a right-wing homophobe. She -- as noted on the KPFA blog -- has never called out Bambi for using homophobia as a campaign strategy. How much self-hatred does that woman have? How little self-respect does she have?
Now the 'youth' movement hasn't been confronted with the use of homophobia. They've been spared it because Little Media elected to stay silent on it. [C.I. note 2-22-08, "*Laura Flanders* corrected from "Hillary." Laura Flanders whined: "How looong she's been in the trenches."]
Bill Clinton was correct, the narrative of Bambi is a fairy tale. Once upon a time, in 2004, sprung from the head of 2004 Democratic National Convention fully formed, Bambi was born.
"The genius of the Obama campaign" Flanders is blathering on about now. Well, remember that, when campaigning in the future. You can use homophobia and be a Democratic candidate. You can use it and you won't be called out for it ever. Certainly not by the so-called left.
You can offer two weak-ass sentences in Houston, Texas and have Tom Hayden praise you through the roof as if you'd just said "Troops Home Now!" Bambi didn't even say anything different. His two sentences are about combat troops. That's it. And we don't get that truth. We gets LIES from LIARS. And this has gone on and on in Little Media for months and months.
The special is now over and Larry Bensky never asked about homophobia. There's no reason for him to ever again host in the Bay Area. That's now reality. No one needs him or his tired ass again. He is a sexist and he's signaled that homophobia isn't a topic worth exploring. He doesn't belong on air. He's old, he's tired. He's retired. Give it to Aimee Allison. She's run for office. She speaks on campuses. She knows what's going on. He is the past, she is the future.
Didn't we hear that theme throughout the special? Laura pimped it hard, Lou pimped it hard, how people over forty were the past. Having promoted that over and over then it's time to take Larry's tired ass off air. Another reason to take him off now? He gave out the phone number for call-ins once and only once at the start of the last hour. He never took callers' phone calls, nor did he ever give out the phone number again. It was more important that Larry ask what he wanted to ask than that a national audience participate by dialing 1-800-958-9088 -- yes, it was a toll free number. [C.I. Correction: 2-28-08: One phone call was taken, Ava and I cover it in "Radio: Panhandle Media."]Equally true is that Uncle Tom Flanders was the only female commentator -- the KPFT reporter wasn't a commenator, she was reporting and they went with what was there from Pacifica, what was there in Austin. Equally true is that for all the talk of the 'youth,' you didn't hear a young voice once. It was pure crap, make no mistake. It was an embarrassing broadcast and shameful for KPFA.
We didn't get a discussion on the illegal war. We got slams at Hillary for her 2002 vote. The 2002 vote did not start the illegal war. A) The Iraq War is illegal it is not authorized. Those 'olders' so quickly dismissed today grasped what Congressional authorization was and wasn't during Vietnam. B) If it was authorization, it was gross misconduct on the White House's part to be given a declaration of war in September 2002 and not begin it until March 2003. There was no authorization. But we don't get realities about the illegal war. We don't get realities at all. We get Little Media pimping non-stop for one candidate. One who has not pledged to end the illegal war.
It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)
Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 3960. Tonight? 3969. Thirty-one away from the 4,000 mark. But you wouldn't know that to listen to what passed for commentary tonight on KPFA. Instead you got Bambi the anti-war warrior based on two sentences (that do not contradict his earlier plan). Laura wanted to slam Hillary (but not Bambi) and use the term "shrivled" to contrast 1972 and today. Was Laura even in this country in 1972? Amnesty for war resisters (so-called 'draft dodgers' and 'deserters') was an issue in 1972. It should have been worthy of a sentence on a KPFA broadcast. It wasn't. The illegal war is not something Little Media is going to fight to end and why should they when they've turned it into a campaign strategy for their candidate of choice? They lie, flat out LIE, and act as though the 2002 Congressional vote was an "authorization." It wasn't. That is among the reasons the Iraq War is illegal. And during Vietnam, we were smart enough to seize upon that point. Congress never approved a war with Vietnam. Equally true, they never approved a war with Iraq. But reality takes a backseat to one candidate and that's why there is nothing "alternative" or "independent" about Little Media. It's why it's a non-stop echo chamber repeating lies and distortions. And if you hate the war, you should hate the crap KPFA broadcast tonight.
iraq
i hate the war
the ballet
bruce dixon
laura flanderstom haydenkpfalarry benksy
Iraq snapshot
Thursday, February 21, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths, the British military announces wounded soldiers, the Iraqi refugee crisis continues, and more.
Starting with war resitance. Gina Hotta (Asia Times) writes today of James Yee, Antonio Taguba and war resister Lt. Ehren Watada noting, "The war in Iraq has thrust American soldiers of Asian ancestry into the limelight as no toher US conflict has ever done before." Of Watada, the first officer to publicly refuse to deploy to the Iraq War, Hotta notes his "refusal to deploy to Iraq underscored the Bush administration's determination to go to war, with Truth being its first casualty. Watada argues that the President misled the public and that the reasons for going to war were based on false premises. Watada states that he will not fight an illegal war. He now faces a possible court martial. The stand Watada took remains a source of controversy. Yet support for him is strong, with a group of Asian American supporters driving several hundred miles to his trials in Washington State." Earlier this month Gregg K. Kakesako (The Honolulu Star Bulletin) offered an update on Watada, citing one of Watada's civilian attorneys, Ken Kagan (James Lobsenz is Watada's other civilian attorney) is cited explaining there is "No real News . . . since the federal judge issued a preliminary injuction in November prohibiting the Army from bringing Watada to a second court-martial. Watada's first court-martial, a year ago, ended in a mistrial." The mistrial was declared over the objection of defense counse. Kakesako notes, "Watada and his attorney claim that a second trial would violate his constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle ruled on Nov. 8 that no court-martial will be held for Watada pending the outcome of his claim that it would violate his Fifth Amendment rights by trying him twice for the same charges." Whether or not double-jeopardy applies (it should apply, it attached when the February court-martial started) will be determined by the US Circuit Court for the Armed Forces and Kakesako concludes, "Watada's term of service in the military ended in December 2006, but the legal proceedings have prevented his discharge. He lives in Olympia, Wash. and continues to perform administrative duties at Fort Lewis, south of Seattle." Watada himself weighed in this month with "Is the Iraq War Illegal?" (Pacific Citizen) where he explains exactly why it is illegal:
Is the war illegal? Before answering this question, it is essential to divide up this conflict into: 1) the invasion and toppling of the former regime, and 2) the subsequent occupation of Iraq by American troops.
There can be no doubt that according to the UN Charter which forbids preventative wars and regime change, the invasion of Iraq was unlawful on its face. Is outlawing pre-emption fair? Absolutely - there is nothing that prohibits a nation from having a very strong defense. Moreover, nothing in the Charter prohibits a nation from retaliating after being attacked (which we were not as stated unequivocally and after-the-fact by the Bush Administration).
Ultimately, this law was established to protect the weak from the powerful, which left unaccountable, can invent any rationale for an invasion and occupation like Hitler did with Poland.
Next, is the occupation illegal? That would depend on who you ask. For supporters of continued involvement, the answer is no -- American troops are protecting us against international terrorism and the Iraqis have requested our help; we have a legal mandate granted by the same institution that we ignored and de-legitimized by invading in the first place.
On the other hand, if you ask the Iraqis themselves (who make up the vast majority of the anti-American insurgency and not Al Qaeda) - as a democratic people, they may have an entirely different answer.
[. . .]
I may not know much, but one thing is certain. Japanese American men and women did not sacrifice their lives and freedoms throughout history, so that today's leaders could invade and occupy another country, then strip the people of their democratic rights when it didn't suit their interests. To believe otherwise, is to bring dishonor upon their memory.
Watada is the first officer to publicly refuse to deploy to the illegal war. Camilo Mejia is the first Iraq War veteran to refuse to return. Stephen Funk was the first non-officer (after the war was declared) to publicly refuse to deploy to Iraq. Jeremy Hinzman was the first war resister to go public about seeking asylum in Canada. In March of 2004, Brandon Hughey also went to Canada and he also went public. Hinzman and Hughey have repeatedly attempted to be granted asylum and repeatedly been denied. November 15th, Canada's Supreme Court refused to hear their cases. Today, Canada's Parliament remaining the best hope for safe harbor war resisters have, you can make your voice heard by the Canadian parliament which has the ability to pass legislation to grant war resisters the right to remain in Canada. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC action:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation. Dee Knight (Workers World) notes, "IVAW wants as many people as possible to attend the event. It is planning to provide live broadcasting of the sessions for those who cannot hear the testimony firsthand. 'We have been inspired by the tremendous support the movement has shown us,' IVAW says. 'We believe the success of Winter Soldier will ultimately depend on the support of our allies and the hard work of our members'." As part of their fundraising efforts for the event, they are holding houseparties and a recent one in Boston featured both IVAW's Liam Madden and the incomprable Howard Zinn as speakers. IVAW's co-chair Adam Kokesh will, of course, be participating and he explains why at his site, "But out of a strong sense of duty, some of us are trying to put our experiences to use for a good cause. Some of us couldn't live with ourselves if weren't doing everything we could to bring our brothers and sisters home as soon as possible. The environment may be unking, but that is why I will be testifying to shooting at civilians as a result of changing Rules of Engagement, abuse of detainees, and desecration of Iraqi bodies. It won't be easy but it must be done. Some of the stories are things that are difficult to admit that I was a part of, but if one more veteran realizes that they are not alone because of my testimony it will be worth it."
In preparation of the March action, IVAW has posted a video online featuring three veterans. They also note the action will be carried over KPFA airwaves (Friday through Sunday) and available for streaming online via KPFA -- video will be streamed online from Thursday through Sunday via IVAW. They also note Chelsea Hover's (News 8 Austin) report "Fort Hood soldiers breaking the silence in war in Iraq" (text and video at link and at the IVAW homepage) which features Ronn Cantu, Selena Coppa, Hart Viges and Casey Porter. Porter explains, "We lost really good friends, really good leaders who died in Iraq. From my perspective, it didn't make any sense, we didn't accomplish anything, and I talked to a lot of other soldiers who feel the same way." That's Texas. North Carolina? Erin Callender (The News Observer) reports SDS and IVAW took part in an action today where "UNC-Chapel Hill students burned fake draft cards symbolizing their opposition to the war in Iraq" as part of a rally where IVAW's Jason Hurd spoke along with Iraqi-America Dahlia Wasfi ("Hurd and Wasfi will also speak tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Dey Hall.").
Meanwhile the rightwing Economist out of England notes of the Iraqi refugee crisis, "Whether they supported the American-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein or denounced it, all rich countries now agree that the turmoil which engulfed Iraq after the war was a tragedy whose victims should be succoured. But by no means all wealthy countries are prepared to back up those compassionate sentiments with money or hospitality." However, the United High Commissioner for Refugees does praise "the Lebanese government for its decision to recognize thousands of Iraqi refugees who had been considered as illegal immigrants liable to detention. From the beginning of this week, Lebanon's Directorate General of the General Security will give Iraqis who have entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas three months to regularize their status. The decision will benefit thousands of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and will result in the release of hundreds from detention. As of October last year, 584 Iraqis were being held in detention in Lebanon due to their irregular status." Ferry Biedermann (Financial Times of London) reports, "But the measures stop short of giving Iraqis special residence permits. Najla Chahda, director of Caritas' Migrant Centre in Beirut, said that the release and the grace period offered Iraqi refugees, 'a chance to feel a bit more comfortable'. She said it was the best they could hope for as long as Lebanon wasn't prepared to offer special status for refugees." IRIN notes, "Starting this week Lebanon's General Security intelligence body has given Iraqi asylum-seekers three months to regularise their status, which entails giving them residency and work permits that were previously denied. UNHCR spokeswoman Laure Chedrawi told IRIN none of the hundreds of Iraqi would-be refugees in Lebanese prisons for violating immigration rules had yet been released, but the administration process had started and the agency was waiting for a list from the General Security Directorate of all those who had served their sentences and were therefore eligible for the process." That's Lebanon. Syria? The BBC reports, "Despite all efforts to provide security in Iraq, large numbers of Iraqis are still fleeing the country, with about 1,000 reportedly crossing into Syria daily, where they join a population of more than one million. The refugees are not allowed to work legally in Syria, and many families whose money is used up face the difficult choice of living in poverty or returning home with no guarantees of safety." Syria is where Riverbend and her family decided to go and, in October, she wrote (Baghdad Burning), "It is estimated that there are at least 1.5 million Iraqis in Syria today. I believe it. Walking down the streets of Damascus, you can hear the Iraqi accent everywhere. There are areas like Geramana and Qudsiya that are packed full of Iraqi refugees. Syrians are few and far between in these areas. Even the public schools in the areas are full of Iraqi children. A cousin of mine is now attending a school in Qudsiya and his class is composed of 26 Iraqi children, and 5 Syrian children. It's beyond belief sometimes. Most of the families have nothing to live on beyond their savings which are quickly being depleted with rent and the costs of living." The other country with the largest concentration of Iraqi refugees is Jordan. In an effort to allow any Iraqi refugees who wanted to go home to be able to do so, the government was setting aside fines for those wanting to return to Iraq. IRIN reports, "Four days into the new rules, only a few dozen Iraqis gathered outside the Interior Ministry and relevant immigration offices to take advantage of the grace period" -- "rules" which also include "reducing by 50 percent visa fines for those who wish to remain in" Jordan and Jordanian-Iraqi Brotherhood Association's Shankal Qader is quoted stating that it's the latter option most Iraqis will chose due to the fact that, "The situation in Iraq does not encourage Iraqis to leave Jordan yet." Last week, UPI reported, "The Jordanian government said it would continue to support Iraqi refugees in Jordan despite them costing $2.2 billion over the past three years." As early as 2004, Jordan was receiving refugees from Iraq. In July of that year, NPR's Deborah Amos reported for Morning Edition: "The large asphalt parking lot a few miles outside of the center of the Jordanian capital is known as Iraqi Square. More than two dozen taxis with Iraqi license plates stand idle, doors wide open, while the Iraqi drivers drink small glasses of hot, sweet tea. They share complaints about the problems of picking up passengers on the Jordanian-Iraqi border: the long lines; the hours of security checks." At that point there were estimates of 300,000 to 600,000 Iraqis in Jordan. At the start of 2007, Carolyn Lochhead (San Francisco Chronicle) was reporting, "Jordan, a U.S. ally, has long accepted Arab refugees, and so has Syria's pan-Arabist dictatorship. The fear now is that both may close their borders. Pressure on Jordan, a country of just 6 million, is intense, with Iraqi refugees now accounting for 10 percent of its population -- the equivalent of 30 million landing on U.S. shores." Like thirty million arriving in the US. And how many have actually arrived?
The total number of Iraqi refugees accepted by the US in 2007 was 1,608. In the February 5th snapshot, the US State Department's laughable press confrence was noted. It featured Homeland Security's Senior Advisor to the Secretary on Iraqi Refugee Issues Lori Scialabba, The State Dept's Deputy Assistant for Consular Affairs Tony Edson, and the Senior Coordinator on Iraqi Refugee Issues Ambassador James Folely with a lot of excuses. CNN Elise Labott and Bloomberg News' Janice Zacharia had questions (and numbers) the State Department wasn't expecting which led to such claims by Foley as the State Dept had never said it would have 7,000 settled by the 2007 fiscal year. Finally, he offered "I came on board in September" (the end of the 2007 fiscal year) and that apparently means that he can't be updated on what's come before. Forget internal briefings, can't they even offer a shift change? May 30, 2007, AP was reporting, "The United States will soon begin admitting a bigger trickle of the more than 2 million refugees who have fled Iraq, acknowledging for the first time the country may never be safe for some who have helped the U.S. there. Since the war began in 2003, fewer than 800 Iraqi refugees have been admitted, angering critics who argued the United States is obligated to assist many more . . . Now, under enhanced screening measures aimed at weeding out potential terrorists -- announced this week by the Department of Homeland Security -- the administration plans to allow nearly 7,000 Iraqis to resettle in the United States by the end of September." Foley wants to offer the excuse that "I came on board in September" 2007 -- which should have been a time when the pledged 7,000 figure was being discussed at length due to the fact that it was the deadline for the announced pledge. It should have been discussed since only 1,608 were admitted which is over 5,000 short of what they promised in May of 2007 (and since 15,477 Iraqis were recommended for asylum to the US government during that period by the United Nations). The "cooridnator" on the Iraqi refugee issue for the State Dept has no excuse for first denying that a pledge of 7,000 was ever made and he has no excuse for then trying to cover by saying he started in September. That was a February press briefing, a scheduled one. If he wasn't lying, then he's obviously not up to speed on the basics of his job. Where's the supervision, Condi? In terms of media coverage, Tara Conlan (Guardian of London) reports, "Channel 4 is to launch its Happy Birthday Iraq season on March 15 with a week of programmes examing the devastating fall-out of the war for Iraq and the Middle East, America and Britain. . . . The first Dispatches investigation features journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy travelling to Jordan and Syria to meet Iraqi refugees struggling to start new lives from scratch." That's in England. In the US? Let's not hold our breath.
In some of today's reported violence . . .
Bombings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing that left three people injured, a Baghad mortar attack that left two people wounded, an Al Anbar Province roadside bombing that claimed 2 lives -- Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Juburi and his driver -- while wounding a bodyguard, an Al Anbar Province car bombing that claimed 1 life and left another person wounded, a Mosul roadside bombing that left five police officers wounded and a rocket attack on the Basra International Airport. Reuters notes, "The Turkish military shelled several Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq, Kudish officials said, just days after Ankara said it was weighing a ground operation against the guerrillas." Shamal Aqrawi (Reuters) adds, "A senior Iraqi border official said a bridge had been destroyed in Nerva Rikan, an area close to Iraq's border with Turkey in Dahuk province" -- did it happen? There are always denials and conflicting reports. Today is no different.
Shootings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports police 1st Lt. Ahmed Mohammed was shot dead in Baghdad while Lt. Col. Haxim and another police officer were wounded and a driver for the Ministry of Transport was shot dead in Baghdad. Reuters notes a police officer was shot dead in Numaniya outside his home.
Corpses?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 corpses discovered in Baghdad and 15 corpses in Diyala Province ("hand cuffed, blindfolded and shot to death"). Reuters adds the Diyala corpses were "shot execution-style in the head."
Today the US military announced: " A Multi-National Division -- Center Soldier was killed when the Soldier's vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device Feb. 20." And they announced: "A Multi-National Force - West Marine was killed in action against enemy forces in Al Anbar Province Feb. 21."
In addition, Megan Levy (Telegraph of London) reports that 4 British soldiers were wounded Wednesday in a Basra attack. The Press Association cites rumors that it was a roadside bombing.
Yesterday's snapshot noted the nonsense and harm of talk of round-ups in Baghdad. The Los Angeles Times' Baghdad bureau raises further issues today: "But enforcing the law will be difficult. Beggars and street people are part of life here, and their numbers have grown dramatically since the war. In addition, the Koran encourages people to help the needy, and Iraqis see nothing wrong with giving money to people who ask for it. In fact, beggars here often go door-to-door in residential neighborhoods seeking handouts. Others walk the chaotic streets hitting up people in passing cars when traffic slows." Meanwhile, as speculation continues to mount as to the continuation or cancellation of the cease-fire/true Moqtada al-Sadr initiated with the US military, Tina Susman and Raheem Salman (Los Angeles Times) report that "aides" and "loyalists" are expressing doubts that it will be renewed with one member of Iraq's parliament in the Sadr bloc, Ghufran Saidi, explaining, "We have made more than one gesture. . . . However, we haven't received any help from the government. The aim is to eliminate the Sadr movement in all provinces." While everyone waits to see what al-Sadr will do, the situation in northern Iraq gets more tense (the Kirkuk election will supposedly take this year -- determining whether the oil-rich area is part of the central government or part of nothern Iraq). Leila Fadel (McClatchy Newspapers) reports on the pressures being placed on Iraqi Arabs ("They treat us like foreigners," says Munawer Fayeq Rashid) and how you need a 'sponsor' to live in the region and then a residency permit. The region -- the desires of some War Hawks not withstanding -- is still a part of Iraq. Fadel observes, "The rules have created tension between Kurds and Arabs, both of whom are citizens of Iraq but who speak different languages and have different histories. Most Kurds are Muslims, but they shudder at the thought of traveling to the dangers of Baghdad."
Now let's turn to US politics. Tonight Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama debate in Austin, Texas. KPFA will broadcast (and stream) it live with Larry Bensky hosting and taking calls after. Tom Hayden has a ridiculous column (guess we won't see the bounc back from embarrassment this week) based on speech that Bambi gave in Houston last week. We'll wait and see on his claims after he explained, while running for the Senate, to Elaine and I that US troops were in Iraq so they couldn't be pulled. Meanwhile, the public trashing of Hillary goes on. It is a trashing and it is very much a trashing in the feminist sense of the term. As a result, Common Dreams -- one of the worst offenders -- has taken to feature faux feminists and today's idiot (we're not even naming her) tries to go after Robin Morgan and Hillary Clinton from a standpoint of 'caring.' Apparently she worked so hard on her act that she was unable to spare time for logic? The faux feminist acknowledges that maybe a climate has been created where Hillary is held to a standard others aren't but, having offered that, she then blames Hillary. That would be blaming the victim. No, that is not feminism. We'll get back to that, let's just enjoy the 'worth' of what she shares such as this statement, "Barack Obama chose the Howard-Dean-Deval Patrick strategy (the Clintons hate Dean): pay attention to all the states" blah, blah, blah. When did Deval Patrick "pay attention to all the states"? Never. He's a governor -- a very bad governor who got into office on pretty words and demonstrates that words are not actions -- of Massachusetts. Explain to us how Deval Patrick, running for governor of Massachusetts, was "paying attention to all the states"? Did all fifty vote him into office as governor? (Mike's friends and family -- including Trina -- call Patrick "Governor Who" because when the pretty words proved not enough, Patrick appeared to go MIA.) Since an idiot has brought Governor Who into it, let's go ahead and note that Jake Tapper (ABC News) caught Patrick lying publicly when he claimed he'd given permission for Obama. But let's get back to the trashing. These 'concerned' columns that blame Hillary are just as much about a trashing as are the ones featuring the on-the-nose hatred. To be clear, Hillary can be held a standard but equality means all are held to the same standard. That hasn't happened. Further, there's no reason a supporter of any candidate has to trash Hillary to make their case. Halle Berry is strongly for Barack Obama and she has not engaged in a trashing. But many others can't do anything but trash and for women, they need to stop pretending they are feminists. What they are doing is acting out against other women, saying, 'You think you're better,' or 'You think your s**t don't stink?' It's a very old story and feminist history has long charted it. Posing as if you're writing out of concern is actually more offensive because at least the other pose is honest. When women's history is written in the near future -- not the far future -- it will not look kindly on a number of these women. It will be very harsh to them as it should be. By contrast, Robin Morgan's "Goodbye To All That (#2)" (Women's Media Center) will still be required reading.
megan levy
Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)