Saturday, May 03, 2008

Other Items

The main goal of Thursday's May Day rally was "to try to convince the City Council to pass a resolution making our city a sanctuary city for war resisters and undocumented workers," according to an e-mail to council members Monday.
But several council members say they won't consider the resolution, one day after the May Day rally became violent on the streets of Olympia, when some participants broke windows on two downtown banks and six people were arrested. Olympia resident Joshua Simpson, who sent the e-mail with the proposed resolution, said he planned to bring a group of people to Tuesday's City Council meeting to speak in favor of the measure. He said he hopes people will consider the resolution on its merits and not be distracted by Thursday's violence.
"I'm not accountable for, like, what a few individuals decide to do," Simpson said. The e-mail also was signed by Katie Olejnik and File Bohmer.


The above is from Matt Batcheldor's "Sanctuary city proposal to council could be casualty of Thursday's attacks" (The Olympian). Today the US military announced (PDF format warning): "A Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier was killed from wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device struck the soldier's vehicle during a combat patrol in eastern Baghdad at approximately 6:15 p.m. May 2."

One of the few reporters actually reporting on Iraq today is Tina Susman. From her "Military's patience wears thin at Baghdad checkpoint" (Los Angeles Times):

On a smog-choked stretch of "Route Pluto," a street haunted by snipers and bombs on the edge of Sadr City, Army Lt. Matt Vigeant was out in traffic looking for a white Opel.
A suspected Shiite Muslim extremist was expected at a funeral for one of his own, so Vigeant had set up an ad hoc roadblock in hope of nabbing him or other militants expected to be among the mourners.
He grew more frustrated with each passing car.
Frustrated that drivers were breezing through the orange traffic cones he had set up rather than slowly curling around them; frustrated that he had to yell above the belching engines and honking horns to get his soldiers' attention; frustrated that he and his men were risking their lives doing a job more likely to infuriate passers-by than yield results.


Turning to campaign news, Hillary's got another super endorsement. Elizabeth Taylor. And let's note that Elizabeth and Richard Burton were there to be counted during Vietnam and Elizabeth never told Americans they would drop to their knees and beg for socialism if they only knew what it really was. (Yes, that was a swipe at someone, a deserved swipe, who spent the previous decade making jokes about their life during that period and now seems intent on turning their present into a parody of that time period -- without even the vaguest indication of self-awareness. But Barack attracts a lot of crazies. Maybe less time should be spent slamming someone's mother -- in what played like Joan Crawford's public attack on Marilyn Monroe -- and more time spent examing one's own parenting? Or lack of it? I'll bite my tongue and leave aside Natalie Wood's joke about ___'s affair with Shelly Winter and "mommy issues.") Elizabeth Taylor's always been a class act and one of the most grounded people in the world.

Eddie e-mails asking that "Clinton: McCain Wrong to Oppose Farm Bill" (HillaryClinton.com) "please, please be highlighted." He notes that his father, who votes Tuesday, told him about it and said, "Hillary gets it." His father was an undecided as late as Thursday night. So here it is and it has an audio link as well:

Sen. McCain revealed yesterday that he would veto the farm bill; Farm bill would provide farms with disaster relief, country of origin labeling, renewable energy advances
Hillary Clinton today said that Sen. John McCain was wrong to say yesterday that he would veto the 2008 farm bill as President, noting it would provide American family farms with priorities like permanent disaster relief, country of origin labeling, renewable energy advances and rural development broadband deployment.
Yesterday, McCain told an Iowa audience, "I do not support [the farm bill]. I would veto it." McCain missed votes on the Farm Bill in 2007, and in 2002 called a farm bill critical to American family farms "an appalling breach of our federal pending responsibility."
"Rural America is struggling in the face of skyrocketing energy prices, an economic downturn and rising food prices," Clinton said. "Saying no to the farm bill would be saying no to rural America."
Senator Hillary Clinton made these remarks on the importance of the farm bill at the Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner in Butte on March 4:
"This Farm Bill needs to move and the president needs to get out of the way so that we can start taking care of rural America."
Click here to listen.

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

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















Buy NYT a map, they can't find Iraq

The New York Times ignores Iraq this morning. They can't even cover the conflict between Turkey and nothern Iraq. Not even with Hurriyet reporting that the Turkish government released video of Thursday night/Friday morning's air assault. And you have to wonder what the purpose of the State Dept doing their annunal, Congressionally mandated reports is if the paper -- the 'paper of record' -- doesn't even find it worthy of note? Maybe they were too distressed by the weak cheerleading the report managed for Iraq? From "Country Reports on Terrorism:"

The government's national reconciliation programs made incremental progress. The Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a unified pension law important to reconciliation efforts, and local working level reconciliation initiatives also successfully brought Sunni and Shia groups together to promote a message of unity. In October, Anbar and Karbala provincial government officials and tribal sheikhs met three times in two weeks to foster improved Sunni-Shia reconciliation.

Wow. Not quite the hard-sell Ryan Crocker delievered last month, is it? It's still putting a positive spin on it, but not like the US Ambassador testifying to Congress. Remember the hustle to get that 'law' passed -- the hustle to get anything passed as al-Maliki's coalition fell apart? It's still not implemented and has no built-in mechanism to measure it. The best the State Dept can offer is to recap that it was pushed through and that, in October, there were some meetings. Wow. Non-Reconciliation laid bare.

Meanwhile Mick Walsh (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer) writes about Adam Martin's loony family. Martin went AWOL from the US army and he's apparently not a war resister. But he is alive and his crazy family that even hired an investigative team to search for him is less than thrilled. Sometimes only a corpse will satisfy the blood lust and that's apparently the explanation for the family's angry reaction. If the name Adam Martin seems familiar, or Mick Walsh, near the end of March, when the 'caring' family was pretending concern (he suffered rectal bleeding before disappearing), we noted him in "Where is Adam Martin?" Today his family knows the answer to that question and it appears to have been anti-climatic for them, hence the anger. They sound like the crazy mother in Love and Death snarling, "He'll go and he'll fight. And I hope they will put him in the front lines!" Gotta be a sac-sac-sacrifice. As Tori sings:

Well I know we're dying
And there's no sign of a parachute
In this chapel
Little chapel of love
Can't we get a little graceAnd some elegance
No we scream in cathedrals
Why can't it be beautiful
Why does there gotta be a sacrifice
Gotta be a sacrifice
Gotta be a sacrifice
-- "I I E E E" words and music by Tori Amos, from her From The Choirgirl Hotel


On Barack's latest turn around ("I never knew that Jeremiah Wright!), Glen Ford's "Obama's 'Race Neutral' Strategy Unravels of its Own Contradictions" (Black Agenda Report):


Things fall apart; some things, like an ill-tied shoelace, sooner than others. Barack Obama's strategy to win the White House was to run a "race-neutral" campaign in a society that is anything but neutral on race. The very premise - that race neutrality is possible in a nation built on white supremacy - demanded the systematic practice of the most profound race-factual denial, which is ultimately indistinguishable from rank dishonesty. From the moment Obama told the 2004 Democratic National Convention that "there is no white America, there is no Black America," it was inevitable that the candidate would one day declare the vast body of Black opinion illegitimate.
[. . .]

Obama was less than eloquent. "All it was is a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in truth," said Sen. Obama, low-rating Rev. Wright's remarks at the National Press Club, in Washington, the morning before. Rev. Wright had become a "caricature" of himself, said the wounded candidate - another way of calling the minister a clown.
Under questioning from reporters in Winston Salem, North Carolina, Obama swore up and down that he had never before, in 16 years as a member of Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ congregation, observed his pastor behave in such a way. The declaration rang patently false, as even a red-state Republican white evangelical observer would have recognized Wright's Press Club performance as that of veteran pulpit-master with a vast repertoire of church-pleasing moves and grooves to draw upon, all of them honed over decades for the entertainment of his parishioners - including Obama. But the senator was intent on giving the impression that Rev. Wright was - unbeknownst to Obama - a Jekyll and Hyde character, whose statements "were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate."
An amazingly Bush-like turn of phrase! The man who married Barack and Michelle and baptized their children is now rhetorically linked to Osama bin Laden or the Ku Klux Klan.


Liang notes Howard Wolfson's "HUBdate: A Star Endorsement" (HillaryClinton.com) from Friday:

A Star Endorsement: The Indianapolis Star today endorsed Hillary: Hillary "offers nuanced positions on how to address the war in Iraq, trade with China and economic expansion. Her depth of knowledge is remarkable…[she] is well prepared for the rigors of the White House. She is tough, experienced and realistic about what can and cannot be accomplished on the world stage…Hillary Clinton is the better choice." Read more.
HRC Strongest v. McCain: "A spate of new public polls out this week confirms what we have been arguing for some time: Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate to beat John McCain in November. The data shows that Clinton not only outperforms Obama in head-to-head matchups, but is also stronger in the all important subcategories that serve as bellwethers for a candidate’s overall strength. In addition, new data out [yesterday] in three swing states vital to Democratic prospects in November show Clinton beating McCain." Read more and more.
Superdelegate Watch: Five superdelegates announced their support for Hillary yesterday. Read more and more.
Relief for Millions of Americans: In Indiana yesterday, Hillary talked up the gas tax holiday and went after those who are out of touch with millions of Americans: "I find it, frankly, a little offensive that people who don't have to worry about filling up their gas tank or what they buy when they go to the supermarket think it's somehow illegitimate to provide relief for...millions and millions of Americans." Chief Strategist Geoff Garin had this to say: "There's a real gap here in how some people see this from 30,000 feet and how real people in places like North Carolina and Indiana experience it every day, and they really want somebody who will say, 'You know what, we get that you’re facing a very difficult economic situation here - we're going to stand by you.'" Read more.
If You Watch One Thing Today: A senior takes Obama to task over his gas tax position. Watch here.Three Generations in Brownsburg, IN: Hillary, joined by Chelsea and her mother Dorothy, spoke to supporters and their children yesterday in Brownsburg, IN. Read more.
Energy in Terre Haute, IN: Today’s front page of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star features Hillary’s latest visit...Hillary told the crowd: "There’s another source of energy we’re going to harness…the people of Terre Haute." Read more.
Derby Picks: Yesterday, Hillary visited the Kentucky headquarters and "revealed her sentimental choice for Saturday's Run for the Roses -- the filly Eight Belles." Read more.
On Tap: Tomorrow, Hoosier singer and songwriter John Mellencamp performs at an event with Hillary in Indianapolis, IN.

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




Friday, May 02, 2008

Iraq snapshot

Friday, May 2, 2008.  Chaos and violence continue, Sadr City sounds off against the puppet, Turkey and northern Iraq continue to be in conflict, and more.
 
Starting with war resistance.  Courage to Resist notes war resister Ryan Jackson is currently at Fort Sill having turned himself at the start of the month after being "absent without leave since December when a local commander vetoed his pending discharge from the 35th Signal Brigade at Fort Gordon, Georgia."  They note that there is a defense fund here, that he can be e-mailed via ryanjackson@couragetoresist.org and that you can find an audio interview they did with him here.
 
US war resisters in Canada who are hoping to be granted safe harbor status.  What's the status on the motion?
 
Community member Dallas passed on the following.  "Citizenship and immigration" issues have taken the forefront and the war resister motion, "it's kind of taken the wayside."  (All quotes from Canada's NDP's spokesperson.) For now, the best thing to do would be continuing utilizing the following e-mails to show your support: 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.  In addition Jack Layton, NDP leader, has a contact form and they would like to hear from people as well. A few more addresses 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 Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, 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, Jose Vasquez, 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, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, 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, northern Iraq was assaulted again.  Hurriyet reports, "Turkey's General Staff confirmed on Friday its warplanes had bombed outlawed separatist PKK bases in nothern Iraq late on Thursday in a 'comprehensive and effective' air operation.  The White House on Friday endorsed Turkey's air strikes against the PKK targets in N. Iraq."  Speaking at and for the White House today, Gordon Johndroe emphasized that Turkey, Iraq and the US "are all committed to dealing with this problem" and declared the air assaults to be part of "ongoing operations".  Mark Bentley (Bloomberg News) notes that the Turkish military is claiming responsibility for "many" deaths and labeling all dead as "terrorists" while BBC points to local television, "A television station run by the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said several villages in the Pishdar district were bombed by Turkish jets on Thursday night. It said there were no casualties in the villages."  C. Onur Ant (AP) explains, "Turkish warplanes bombed a key Kurdish rebel base deep inside Iraq for three hours overnight, Turkey's military and a rebel spokesman said Friday. A Kurdish Iraqi official said four rebels were killed." CNN states that the bombing began at 11:00 pm ("local time") which would mean it ended at 1:00 a.m. this morning.  Turkey, the United States and the European Union label the PKK as a terrorist organization.
 
On Wednesday, the US State Department provided their annual "Country Reports on Terrorism" to the US Congress and included in the section on Turkey was the following:
 
Domestic and transnational terrorist groups have targeted Turkish nationals and foreigners, including, on occasion, USG personnel, in Turkey, for more than 40 years. Terrorist groups that operated in Turkey included Kurdish separatist, Marxist-Leninist, radical Islamist, and pro-Chechen groups. Terrorism in Turkey is defined in the Anti-Terror Law #3713 (TMK, 1991). "Terrorist" activities are composed primarily of crimes outlined in the Penal Code committed within the context of terrorist group activities, which target the structure of the state, changing or destroying the principles of the state, and aiming to create panic and terror in society. Thus, Turkish law defines terrorism as attacks against Turkish citizens and the Turkish state, and hampers Turkey's ability to interdict those who would target non-combatants globally.
Most prominent among terrorist groups in Turkey is the Kongra-Gel/Kurdistan Worker's Party (KGK/PKK). Composed primarily of Kurds with a separatist agenda, the KGK/PKK operated from bases in northern Iraq and directed its forces to target mainly Turkish security forces. In 2005 and 2006, KGK/PKK violence claimed hundreds of Turkish lives. This persisted in 2007, when the KGK/PKK continued its terrorist tactics. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a group designated under E.O. 13224, is affiliated with the KGK/PKK and has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks on Turkish and foreign citizens in Turkish cities in recent years. KGK/PKK and TAK-linked individuals were discovered in late May in Istanbul, Adana, Konya, and Mardin with explosive materials designed to carry out suicide attacks. On May 25, the KGK/PKK claimed responsibility for the bombing of a cargo train in Bingol Province.
In the midst of weeks of violence, during which KGK/PKK attacks claimed scores of killed or wounded Turkish soldiers and citizens, the Turkish parliament on October 17 overwhelmingly passed a motion authorizing cross-border military operations against KGK/PKK targets in northern Iraq. Turkish forces carried out extensive operations along the Turkey-Iraq border in the latter part of the year. On November 5th, President Bush committed to provide Turkey "real-time, actionable intelligence" to counter the KGK/PKK in northern Iraq.
 
In the section on Iraq, with regards to Turkey, the report noted the following:
 
Iraqi government officials continued to strongly condemn terrorists. On September 28, Iraq and Turkey concluded a counterterrorism agreement between its interior ministers to increase cooperation in countering the militant Kurdish separatist group, Kongra Gel/Kurdistan Workers' Party (KGK/PKK). Following an October 7 attack by the KGK/PKK that killed 13 Turkish soldiers in Southern Turkey, Prime Minister Maliki publicly stated that the KGK/PKK was a terrorist organization and would not be tolerated in Iraq. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials in northern Iraq also took concrete actions against the KGK/PKK presence there by closing off re-supply routes via additional checkpoints, increasing airport screening for KGK/PKK members, and directing the closure of KGK/PKK-affiliated offices.
 
Today's Zaman notes the report maintains that support comes from Europe (are they the next 'axis of evil'?) where "the group maintains a large extortion, fundraising and propaganda network" and the paper adds, "Turkey has frequently criticized European countries for tolerating PKK fundraising and propaganda activities in their territory, although the European Union, like the US, recognizes the PKK as a terrorist organization."  James Orr (Guardian of London) states, "The PKK leadership is thought to be hidng in the Mt Qandil area, which straddles the Iraq-Iran border and is 60 miles from the border between Iraq and Turkey.  In recent months, Turkey has launched several air assualts on PKK targets in northern Iraq.  In February, it staged a major ground offensive which lasted eight days."
 
Thursday night's assault was preceeded by Turkish officials visiting the central (puppet) government in Baghdad.  Hurriyet explains, "A Turkish delegation arrived in Baghdad on Thursday to meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, PM Nuri Al Maliki and Kurdish administration PM Nechirvan Barzani. . . . The delegation, consisting of a senior Prime Ministry official Ahmet Davutoglu and Turkey's Special Representative to Iraq Murat Ozcelik, arrived in Baghdad on Thursday."  Wisam Mohammed (Reuters) quoted the Kurdish regional government's foreign policy chief, Falah Mustafa, stating, "This is the first time a meeting has taken place between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan goverment" and, when asked about the issue of the PKK, Mustafa stated, "Of course we discussed it, but only in general terms, not in specifics.  And we agreed to find a peaceful solution."  But Today's Zaman quotes Turkey's foreign minister Ali Babacan stating  PKK remains an issue for relations between the government and Turkey and of the Kurdish region of Iraq, "The manner and stance that will be displayed by the local administration in northern Iraq regarding their discourse and activities concerning the PKK will by all means influence our dialogue -- postively or negatively. . . .  The extent to which they can put distance between themselves and the organization and the extent to which they can strongly display their intent to do so with concrete steps will certainly influence the characteristic and frequency of our dialogue with the local administration in northern Iraq."  AFP explains, "Ankara is under pressure from Washington and at home to back up military action against the PKK with political and economic gestures to the sizeable Kurdish community and erode popular support for the rebels."
 
As with every assault, the usual economic response took place.  Thomson Financial reports, "Oil prices have jumped higher as a result of the attacks, due to concerns, supplies from nothern Iraqi oil fields could be disrupted."  Moming Zhou and Polya Lesova (MarketWatch) observe that the rise in prices was "the first day in four" for a rise and that the increase was "more than $3 to near $116 a barrel, boosed by news reports that Turkish planes bombed bases of separatist Kurds in nothern Iraq."  Grant Smith (Bloomberg News) quotes Nordea Bank AB analyst Thina Saltvedt declaring, "Even though this Turkish invasion hasn't done anything to the supply side, there is the risk premium that violence will spread to southern Iraq, which is more important for oil."
 
Meanwhile Sadr City was in very vocal opposition to the puppet of the occuaption Nouri al-Malik today.  Hassan Jouini (AFP) reports that "crowds" took part in "a tirade" agains the puppet as they demanded he "end a stalement with their leader Moqtada al-Sadr and quotes spokesperson Salman al-Fraiji declaring, "Nuri al-Maliki has compounded misunderstandings and false accusations.  He seeks to cover the failure of his domestic policy.  You are trying to cover up the crimes of your protectors in Sadr City.  Heinous crimes have been perpetrated by the occupiers in our area.  Why are you hiding them?  You have failed to convince Arab countries to open embassies in Iraq."  Salah Hemeid (Al-Ahram Weekly) explains, "At issue are the coming provincial elections scheduled in October which both the Iraqi government and the American administration eye as vital in stabilising the war-wrecked nation.  Both fear that Al-Sadr's supporters will fare better than the US-favoured Islamic Supreme Council and Al-Maliki's Daawa Party, thus excluding them from most of the southern provinces, so despite having grassroots support they were not represented in local governments."
 
An important documentary that takes a look at the resistance in Iraq is th, Meeting Resistance by Molly Bingham and Steve Connors.  It's been playing to raves across the country and will be out on DVD this month (May 20th is the DVD release):
 
 
MEETING RESISTANCE An "Astonishing" Journey into the Heart of the Iraqi Resistance          
Available on DVD May 20, 2008          
MEETING RESISTANCE is a daring, eye-opening film that raises the veil of anonymity surrounding the Iraqi insurgency by meeting face to face with individuals who are passionately engaged in the struggle against coalition forces. It documents for the first time the sentiments experienced and actions taken by a nation's citizens when their homeland is occupied.            
With unique insight into the people involved in the resistance, this acclaimed film explodes myth after myth about the war in Iraq and the Iraqis who participate. Voices which have been previously unheard -- both male and female -- speak candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals, revealing a kaleidoscope of human perspectives. Through its unprecedented access to insurgents and clandestine groups, MEETING RESISTANCE is the missing puzzle piece in understanding the Iraq war -- not only the toll of the occupation but the mindset behind those who resist.          
MEETING RESISTANCE was directed by Steve Connors and Molly Bingham. Connors was born in Sheffield, England. He began taking photographs while serving as a British soldier in Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. Connors has worked for most of the worlds' newspapers and magazines including Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times and spent fifteen months from November 2001 on in Afghanistan. During the invasion, he went to Iraq and spent fourteen months there working on MEETING RESISTANCE. The film is Connors' directorial debut.           
Molly Bingham was born in Kentucky and graduated from Harvard College in 1990. She began working as a photojournalist in earnest in 1994, traveling to Rwanda in the wake of the genocide. She has worked as a photojournalist for many different publications and has also completed projects for Human Rights Watch. Bingham teamed up with Connors in August of 2003 to begin a film about who was behind the emerging post-war violence in Iraq.      
DVD Bonus Features:         
Directors' Audio Commentary • Film Notes • Biographies • Theatrical Trailer
Featured on Good Morning America, National Public Radio, ABC World News, Anderson Cooper 360, This Week with George Stephanopolous, CNN, Vanity Fair, and more!           
SCREENED BY THE U.S. MILITARY
Shown to Iraq-based and Iraq-bound troops "I spent several years studying and fighting the insurgency at the tactical and operational levels, and I strongly recommend MEETING RESISTANCE. It provides the best view into the minds and motivations of Iraqi insurgents I have found in years of research." - MAJOR DAN FICKEL (RES)           
"The single most astonishing documentary yet on the Iraq war. A breakthrough film!" -- SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL, SALON.COM   
"Powerful and fascinating!" -- SHAUNA LYON, THE NEW YORKER    
"A remarkable piece of war reporting." -- RICHARD LEIBY, WASHINGTON POST 
"DARING...COURAGEOUS...ENLIGHTENING! Sometimes a film serves as a potent weapon of endangered truth, dispelling official lies and giving voice to those whose collective pain has been silenced. MEETING RESISTANCE is that film and more, an act of resistance in its own right to the US war on Iraq." -- PRAIRIE MILLER -- WBAI RADIO         
"A rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of those who have dedicated themselves to ridding Iraq of its invaders." -- RONNIE SCHEIB, VARIETY      
"he documentary equivalent of a Seymour Hersh investigative story in The New Yorker. REQUIRED VIEWING!" -- JOE GARFOLI, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"EYE-OPENING!" -- PETER MARTIN, CINEMATICAL         
More information about the film can be found at
meetingresistance.com
MEETING RESISTANCE           
85 minutes, color, 2007, Arabic w/English subtitles UPC: 7-20229-91324-9 Catalog #: FRF 913249D  
Retail Price: $24.95 Canadian Retail Price: $29.95 Pre-book: April 15 Street Date: May 20         
 
 
Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .
 
 
Bombing?
 
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports, a Diyala Province bombing that wounded one person. 
 
Shooting?
 
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 Awakening members were shot dead in an attack in Baquba and five wounded before their building was blown up.  Reuters notes that US forces state they killed 4 people (suspected 'gunmen') in Mosul yesterday and today and 2 people in Baghdad's Sadr City (suspected 'gunmen' -- and via ariel bombings on the Sadr City) as well as 7 people in armed clashes in Baghdad.
 
Kidnapping?
 
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a mass kidnapping (7 people) in Diyala Province today.
 
 
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 3 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
 
In US presidential political news. Senator Barack Obama wants to be president . . . of some of the people.  Apparently not of the people hurting economically over rising gas prices.  He's shot down both Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain's plans for a gas tax holiday.  But Delilah Boyd (A Scriverner's Lament) points out that "Obama voted for it multiple times in Illinois in 2000 ...  The Obama-based moral of this and all other Obama stories: If it doesn't help Obama, it's not a good thing. Period."  Meanwhile Ralph Nader and his running mate Matt Gonzalez are gearing up for a West Coast Tour next week where they will be working on ballot access in California, Oregon and Washington.
 
Returning to the topic of Barack, he received another endorsement from another loser today.  Paul G. Kirk Jr. who has long been Ted Kennedy's biggest suck-up came out for Barack today.  Kirk Jr.'s 'expertise' and 'wisdom' were probably on 'best' display when he was the head on DNC during . . . Michael Dukakis failed presidential campaign.  We're sure Junior will bring all the 'help' to Barack that he did to Dukakis.  Dan Baltz (Washington Post) points out that Junior actually came out for Barack in February.  Well, when your life means so little, you probably have to grab all the headlines you can. Ask the Loud family.  But whatever you do, don't ask Barack basic geographic questions.  Pagan Power (No Quarter) explains that Barack has a 'plan' for Oregon and it includes "the Great Lakes" which, pay attention, are in the MidWest, not the North West.  Hillary's plan is entitled "Oregon Compact."  Barack apparently rushed his last-minute homework.  Which explains both his errors as well as other portions appearing to be lifted from Hillary's plan.  Maybe he can claim she's his best friend just like Deval and that makes it okay?
 
Barack keeps claiming Jeremiah Wright is preventing a discussion of the issues.  Apparently, Wright prevented Barack from discussing issues for 20 years?  Reid J. Epstein (Newsday) reports that academics watching polls in North Carolina see the Wright friendship as hurting Barack at the polls.  People do wonder why it took him 20-years and how stupid he thinks Americans are that we're all supposed to believe that Jeremiah Wright transformed/shape-shifted over the weekend into someone Barack had enver seen before?  In the real world, Eloise Harper (ABC News) reports Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared in Indiani yesterday, ""Part of our family is divided and our Party is divided and the reason we are divided is because we have two extraordinary candidates both running for president both who will make unbelievable presidents of this country. . . . but let me tell you why they're wrong and I'm right, because I know Hillary Clinton better than they know Barack Obama."
Meanwhile, Hillary picked up an important endorsement today.  From The Indianapolis Star's editorial entitled  "Experience makes Clinton better choice in primary:"

As impressive as Obama appears, he is still in his first term in the U.S. Senate, and only four years ago was serving as an Illinois state senator. His inexperience in high office is a liability.       
Clinton, in contrast, is well prepared for the rigors of the White House. She is tough, experienced and realistic about what can and cannot be accomplished on the world stage.           
 
 
Independent journalist, photo-journalist and artist David Bacon examines and explores the issues of immigrant rights frequently.  Last week, Bacon  (Political Affairs Magazine) sounded the alarms over Hayley Barbour, governor of Mississippi, having "signed into law the fartherest-reaching employer sanctions law of any on the books in the U.S.  Employer sanctions is a shorthand name for laws that prohibit employers from hiring immigrants who don't have legal immigration status in the U.S. That provision was part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, passed by Congress in 1986, which for the first time in U.S. history required employers to verify the immigration status of employees.  The Mississippi bill, SB 2988, requires employers to use an electronic system to verify immigration status, called E-Verify.  That system has only recently been developed by the Department of Homeland Security, and by the department's own admission, is not a complete record."  This week, he writes (Political Affairs Magazine):
 
In the big immigrant marches that swept the country on May Day in 2006 and 2007, one sign said it all: "We are Workers, not Criminals!"  Often it was held in the calloused hands of men and women who looked as though they'd just come from work in a factory, cleaning an office building, or picking grapes.       
The sign stated an obvious truth.  Millions of people have come to this country to work, not to break its laws.  Some have come with visas, and others without them.  But they are all contributors to the society they've found here, not people who mean it harm.  Again this May Day, immigrant workers are filling the streets, making the same point.      
Yet today the Federal government is taking actions that make holding a job a criminal act.  Some states and local communities, seeing a green light from the Department of Homeland Security, are passing measures that go even further.  These actions need a reality check.
 
Tonight (in most markets) NOW on PBS explores the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns with guests Willie Brown and Dan Schnur.  The campaign will also be part of the topics addressed on PBS' Washington Week (check local listings) and Gwen's guests will include AP's Charles Babington, Wall St. Journal's David Wessel, NBC's Pete Williams and the New York Times' John Harwood.  From TV to radio, Sunday on WBAI (11:00 a.m. EST), The Next Hour is hosted by Reno and, on Monday, Cat Radio Cafe (2:00 p.m. EST):
 
A celebration of the life and art of Michael Goldberg, American painter (1924-2007) who gained first acclaim as a Second Generation Abstract Expressionist of the New York School.  With art critici Jeremy Gilbert-Rolf, curator Klaus Kertess, painter Ellen Phelan, Bomb Magazine editor Betsy Sussler, Goldberg's stepson Luke Matheissen, and his wife sculptor Lynn Umlauf.  Hosted by Janet Coleman and David Dozier.
 
And we'll close with Chelsea Clinton:
One of the most fun things about meeting people who support my mom's campaign is seeing all the creative ways they show their support. I've seen a lot of homemade signs, buttons, and shirts on the campaign trail, and I think we need to harness that great creative energy for our campaign.      
I know you agree with me that my mom is the strongest, most progressive, and most prepared candidate, and that she would be the best president! This is a great way for you to show exactly what her historic campaign means to you.      
Maybe you've got a slogan that you've been dying to share. Or maybe you want to share your design talents. Whatever your ideas are, I can't wait to see them -- and we'll offer the best shirt for sale in the official campaign store, raising money to help my mom win! I'll also make sure to get a picture of me AND my mom wearing the shirt, which we will post on the website.    
So please put on your thinking caps, get those creative juices flowing, and visit our Project T-Shirt website to learn more and submit your design.    
I'm so excited to see all the great ideas you have. Thank you so much for all you're doing to help my mom win!     
Go Hillary!
 
 


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By tradition, the proper gift for a fifth anniversary is something made of wood. Jack Murtha must know this, for in observing the fifth anniversary yesterday of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech, he gave the president a rhetorical two-by-four to the head.
"Five years ago today, President Bush addressed our nation and the world from the USS Abraham Lincoln only 42 days after he ordered the invasion of Iraq; he declared 'Mission Accomplished,' " the Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania declared at the liberal Center for American Progress. "One thousand, eight hundred and twenty-seven days later, the U.S. occupation of Iraq continues and our mission remains undefined."
Murtha -- ticking off statistics about doom and misery in Iraq -- couldn't help adding in a sly reference to the flight suit Bush wore that day for his aircraft-carrier- landing stunt. "I was going to wear my field uniform today, but I decided it didn't fit," the bulky Vietnam veteran said. "It shrunk."

The above, noted by Sean, is from Dana Milbank's "Five Years, Two Words, No Letup" (Washington Post). While Bully Boy ordered and organized international violence, Olympia, Washington saw a smattering of violence (vandalism -- broken windows) yesterday. Jeremy Pawloski, Christian Hill and Adam Wilson (The Olympian) report on it in "A rally, then violence in Olympia:"

The vandalism, which occurred while the banks were open with customers and employees inside, led to a violent confrontation between police and some demonstrators. In a separate incident Thursday, participants in May Day activities defaced the inside of the Capitol with anarchist symbols.
About 10 police officers moved in after the bank windows were shattered about 4 p.m., Olympia police Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad said. Protesters grabbed, punched and otherwise impeded the officers who were trying to arrest suspects thought to have thrown rocks at windows, he said.
Bjornstad said that as of Thursday night, six people had been arrested in connection with the vandalism at the banks.
The May Day event was intended as a way to promote social justice and bring attention to a proposal scheduled to be brought before the Olympia City Council on Tuesday to designate Olympia as a "sanctuary city" for war resisters. Sanctuary cities bar the use of local resources to enforce federal immigration laws and, in this case, to locate and arrest service members opposed to the war who desert their units.
Before the bank windows were broken, a separate group of protesters at the Capitol entered the building as a mass, said State Patrol Sgt. Ted DeHart. Members of that group then tried to enter the governor's office and clog a hallway. Representatives from the office spoke to them, and when they left, anarchist symbols were found scribbled on the walls and outside of the building.

As noted in yesterday's snapshot, labor went on strike to end the illegal war. Ronald W. Powell's "Stoppage anticipated, so few major disruptions reported" (San Diego Union-Tribune):

Dole Fresh Fruit Co.'s San Diego operation reported a loss of $316,000 because of a work stoppage yesterday by West Coast dockworkers protesting the Iraq war.
Dole's report of losses, mostly in bananas, was the only one disclosed by local companies in the daylong protest, which involved thousands of workers at 29 ports from San Diego to Seattle.
The work stoppage had a larger effect on ports in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle, which are the primary gateways for container shipments from the Far East and other foreign ports.

That's an article worth reading. By contrast, the garbage in the New York Times this morning can be skipped. It's a cobble together of wire reports and local TV stations that offers no credit to those outlets. (It's not the writer credited in the snapshot yesterday, FYI. A glory hog wanted to grab that story and demonstrate how he could fleece the work of others and claim it as his own. Point demonstrated.)

Reed Fujii's "Iraq war protest draws 70 to port" (Stockton Record) takes a look at the workers rally in Stockton:

While most were dock workers, the event drew representatives from other unions in the San Joaquin and Calaveras Counties Central Labor Council, as well as area activists, retirees and others.
"We stand together with you to speak up against the obscenity of this war," said Marti Smith of the California Nurses Association.
Stockton City Councilwoman Susan Eggman also spoke against the war.
"No one I know supports what's going on in Iraq right now," she said.
Many speakers attacked the war in terms of costs - both human and monetary - to the American middle class.
While fighting in Iraq may seem far away, said ILWU member David Griffin, "It's really all around us."
He deplored the homes vacant in his neighborhood due to the foreclosure and credit crisis and described seeing a clerk suffering behind the counter at Hollywood Video because she couldn't afford to see a dentist to relieve an impacted molar
"We don't have health care in this country because of this damn war," Griffin said. "We've got to end this war, bring the troops home and take care of people like my neighbor and the girl at Hollywood."
The war costs also detract from the U.S. education system, argued Anne McCaughey, president of the Stockton Teachers Association.
There's no real benefit from the Bush administration's centerpiece, No Child Left Behind, "because it's an unfunded mandate," she said.
Instead, the federal government is active in recruiting her former students to join the military, whom then "are being sent overseas and are being brought back in boxes."
President Bush, and other Republicans in general, were taken to task by rally speakers.
Lucio Reyes, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 601, said Bush is personally responsible for thousands of American deaths and the "hundreds of thousands of innocent people killed in Iraq."
He called for the president to be tried for "crimes against humanity."
"I want to see Bush put in jail for the rest of his life," he said.

The CBS Evening News notes that the primary race in Indiana "intensifies"



And if you can stream the clip, you can see that Joe Andrews never did lose weight. As large as he is airy. Sitting at Mommy's kitchen table, all these years later, poor, poor, lonely middle-aged man. Remember, Barack Obama: The Choice of Lonely, Overweight, Middle-Aged Mama's Boys Everywhere. Lastly Brenda notes Howard Wolfson's "HUBdate: Strongest v. Sen. McCain" (HillaryClinton.com):

Strongest v. Sen. McCain: A spate of new polls out in the last two days confirm that Hillary is the strongest general candidate vs. Sen. McCain. Sen. Clinton beats Sen. McCain handily (50-41) while Sen. Obama is virtually tied with Sen. McCain (46-44), according to the AP-Ipsos poll released Monday. A new poll from CBS/NYT shows Sen. Clinton beating Sen. McCain by five points (48-43), while Sen. Obama ties Sen. McCain (45-45). The new Fox poll has Sen. Clinton beating Sen. McCain by 1 (45-44), while Sen. Obama trails Sen. McCain by three points (43-46). And in Gallup's daily tracking poll, Sen. Clinton leads Sen. McCain by one point (46-45) while Sen. Obama trails Sen. McCain by two points (44-46).

Today In The Hoosier State: Joined by Chelsea, Hillary hosts a Conversation With Families in Brownsburg, IN. She also hosts "Standing Up For Jobs" events in Jeffersonville, IN and Terre Haute, IN.

Superdelegate Watch: Two more superdelegates endorsed Hillary yesterday: PA State AFL-CIO President Bill George and Puerto Rico Democratic Vice Chair Luisette CabaƱa. Said AFL-CIO President George, "I feel that she is our strongest candidate to carry Pennsylvania in November and win back the White House." Read more and more.

By the Numbers: Yesterday's daily Gallup poll showed Hillary once again leading Sen. Obama nationally (47-46). "This marks the fifth consecutive Gallup Poll Daily tracking report in which the two Democratic candidates have been within a point of one another" and the second consecutive day Hillary has led. Read more.

New Ads In NC: In two new 60-second ads airing statewide in North Carolina, author and activist Dr. Maya Angelou and Gov. Mike Easley describe why they support Hillary. Watch Dr. Maya Angelou's ad here. Watch Gov. Easley's ad here.


Clinton Commutes To Work: Hillary commuted to work yesterday with sheet metal worker Jason Wifling in a "white Ford F-250 truck. For half a tank of regular unleaded gasoline, they paid $63.67." Hillary has a plan to address soaring gas prices at the pump, including suspending the federal gas tax and enforcing a "gas tax holiday." Read More.

Making Trade Work For Indiana: Hillary highlighted her trade agenda yesterday in Indiana. "With working families squeezed by soaring gas prices, stagnant wages and an economy sliding into recession, Hoosiers need a President who will fight for their economic interests from day one. Americans need a President who will fight for fair, pro-American trade policies that will not trap them in a race to the bottom." Read details here.

"Hold Her To It" The Lafayette Journal Courier reports on Hillary's "Standing Up For Jobs" town hall yesterday in Lafayette, IN: "'I want you to remember that we were here in Lafayette on the last day of April, and I told you what I wanted to do with the tax code, the trade policy, with new investments to create jobs,' Clinton said. 'So that as I move toward the White House, you can say, 'I remember when she said that, and I can hold her to it.'" Read more.

No Shortage of Enthusiasm: Hillary hosted an event in Portage, IN: “Long Lines, But No Shortage Of Enthusiasm” Read More

If You Watch One Thing Today: Hillary was on Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor” last night. Watch here and here.




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







Balad Ruz bombings

At least 31 Iraqis were killed and 71 wounded in a double suicide bombing north of the capital Thursday, police and hospital officials said.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, announced the death of a U.S. soldier in a car bombing in Baghdad.

The above is from Alexandra Zavis' "In Iraq, two suicide bombings kill 31" (Los Angeles Times) and staying with those twin bombings from yesterday, this is from Erica Goode and Stephen Farrell's "Double Bombings in an Iraqi Town Kill 35" (New York Times):

The bombings in Balad Ruz, northeast of Baghdad, were the latest in a string of major attacks recently in Diyala Province, a region that American officials have contended is considerably safer as a result of the joining of local forces, known as Awakening Councils, with American and Iraqi forces to fight insurgents.
Those attacks included one on April 16 in which 40 people were killed, and another one on April 18 that killed at least 30 people.

Charlie notes Sholnn Freeman's "At Least 35 Die As Bombers Hit Wedding Convoy" (Washington Post):

The double bombing was the latest in a series of high-profile attacks in Diyala, a largely Sunni area. The attackers appear to be targeting members of the Awakening movement, mainly Sunnis who have joined with U.S. forces to fight the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Women are involved in an increasing number of the attacks. On Tuesday, a female suicide bomber struck in the village of Mukhisa, killing one person and wounding five, all members of the Awakening movement. On April 21, a female bomber blew herself up in the home of a group of Sunni Awakening members, killing three people.

Meanwhile The Indianapolis Star has endorsed a candidate in the Democratic presidential primary race. From "Experience makes Clinton better choice in primary:"

As impressive as Obama appears, he is still in his first term in the U.S. Senate, and only four years ago was serving as an Illinois state senator. His inexperience in high office is a liability.
Clinton, in contrast, is well prepared for the rigors of the White House. She is tough, experienced and realistic about what can and cannot be accomplished on the world stage.
[. . .]
Clinton also was an integral part of her husband's political machine, which earned a reputation for flattening opponents. That factor understandably gives many voters pause about whether another Clinton should serve as president.
Yet, one thing is clear: The next commander in chief will take office at a time of extraordinary risk for this nation, both at home and abroad. The challenges -- including those posed by a sagging economy, rising energy and food costs, the gap in health care, wars in two countries and threats from Iran -- are complex.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is the better choice, based on her experience and grasp of major issues, to confront those challenges. She earns The Star's endorsement in Tuesday's primary.



A really important documentary comes out this month, Meeting Resistance:

April 25, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kelly Hargraves Phone: 1-323-662-1930

Toll free: 1-800-229-8575

kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.com

MEETING RESISTANCE An "Astonishing" Journey into the Heart of the Iraqi Resistance
Available on DVD May 20, 2008
MEETING RESISTANCE is a daring, eye-opening film that raises the veil of anonymity surrounding the Iraqi insurgency by meeting face to face with individuals who are passionately engaged in the struggle against coalition forces. It documents for the first time the sentiments experienced and actions taken by a nation's citizens when their homeland is occupied.
With unique insight into the people involved in the resistance, this acclaimed film explodes myth after myth about the war in Iraq and the Iraqis who participate. Voices which have been previously unheard -- both male and female -- speak candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals, revealing a kaleidoscope of human perspectives. Through its unprecedented access to insurgents and clandestine groups, MEETING RESISTANCE is the missing puzzle piece in understanding the Iraq war -- not only the toll of the occupation but the mindset behind those who resist.
MEETING RESISTANCE was directed by Steve Connors and Molly Bingham. Connors was born in Sheffield, England. He began taking photographs while serving as a British soldier in Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. Connors has worked for most of the worlds' newspapers and magazines including Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times and spent fifteen months from November 2001 on in Afghanistan. During the invasion, he went to Iraq and spent fourteen months there working on MEETING RESISTANCE. The film is Connors’ directorial debut.
Molly Bingham was born in Kentucky and graduated from Harvard College in 1990. She began working as a photojournalist in earnest in 1994, traveling to Rwanda in the wake of the genocide. She has worked as a photojournalist for many different publications and has also completed projects for Human Rights Watch. Bingham teamed up with Connors in August of 2003 to begin a film about who was behind the emerging post-war violence in Iraq.
DVD Bonus Features:

Directors' Audio Commentary • Film Notes • Biographies • Theatrical Trailer
Featured on Good Morning America, National Public Radio, ABC World News, Anderson Cooper 360, This Week with George Stephanopolous, CNN, Vanity Fair, and more!

SCREENED BY THE U.S. MILITARY

Shown to Iraq-based and Iraq-bound troops“I spent several years studying and fighting the insurgency at the tactical and operational levels, and I strongly recommend MEETING RESISTANCE. It provides the best view into the minds and motivations of Iraqi insurgents I have found in years of research.” - MAJOR DAN FICKEL (RES)

"The single most astonishing documentary yet on the Iraq war. A breakthrough film!" -- SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL, SALON.COM
"Powerful and fascinating!" -- SHAUNA LYON, THE NEW YORKER
"A remarkable piece of war reporting." -- RICHARD LEIBY, WASHINGTON POST
"DARING...COURAGEOUS...ENLIGHTENING! Sometimes a film serves as a potent weapon of endangered truth, dispelling official lies and giving voice to those whose collective pain has been silenced. MEETING RESISTANCE is that film and more, an act of resistance in its own right to the US war on Iraq." -- PRAIRIE MILLER -- WBAI RADIO
"A rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of those who have dedicated themselves to ridding Iraq of its invaders." -- RONNIE SCHEIB, VARIETY
"he documentary equivalent of a Seymour Hersh investigative story in The New Yorker. REQUIRED VIEWING!" -- JOE GARFOLI, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"EYE-OPENING!" -- PETER MARTIN, CINEMATICAL
More information about the film can be found at
meetingresistance.com
MEETING RESISTANCE

85 minutes, color, 2007, Arabic w/English subtitles UPC: 7-20229-91324-9 Catalog #: FRF 913249D

Retail Price: $24.95 Canadian Retail Price: $29.95 Pre-book: April 15 Street Date: May 20


On the campaign front, Joan notes Harold Ickes "Memo: HRC Strongest v. McCain" (HillaryClinton.com):

A spate of new public polls out this week confirms what we have been arguing for some time: Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate to beat John McCain in November.

The data shows that Clinton not only outperforms Obama in head-to-head matchups, but is also stronger in the all important subcategories that serve as bellwethers for a candidate's overall strength. In addition, new data out today in three swing states vital to Democratic prospects in November show Clinton beating McCain.

HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH MCCAIN: In a hypothetical general election match-up with McCain, Clinton wins handily (50-41) while Obama is virtually tied with McCain (46-44), according to the AP-Ipsos poll released Monday. A new poll from CBS/NYT show Clinton beating McCain by five points (48-43), while Obama ties McCain (45-45). The new Fox poll has Clinton beating McCain by one point (45-44), while Obama trails McCain by three points (43-46). And in Gallup's daily tracking poll, Clinton leads McCain by one point (46-45) while Obama trails McCain by two points (44-46).

SWING STATES: New Quinnipiac polls out today show Clinton dramatically outperforms Obama in the critical swing states of Ohio and Florida. In Ohio, Clinton beats McCain by ten points (48-38), while Obama loses to him by one point (43-44). In Florida, Clinton beats McCain by 8 (49-41), while Obama loses to him by one point (42-43). Hillary also tops McCain by 14 points in Pennsylvania (51-37), while Obama's lead over McCain is in single digits.

CLINTON BEATS MCCAIN AMONG INDEPENDENT VOTERS; OBAMA TIES HIM: The new AP poll has Clinton leading McCain among independents (50-34) while Obama is tied with him (42-42). The NBC/WSJ poll notes that Obama's negative ratings among independents are they highest they have ever been.

CLINTON IS THE CANDIDATE VOTERS TRUST WITH THE ECONOMY: The economy is the top issue among voters and is likely to remain so through November. In the CBS/NYT poll, Hillary beat both Obama and McCain as the candidate who is talking about the economy most by a margin of 25% to Obama’s 13% and McCain’s 7%.

OBAMA UNFAVORABLES RISING QUICKLY: In the CBS/NYT poll, Obama's unfavorables increased by ten points in the last month (24 to 34%) while his favorables decreased by four points. In the CBS/NYT poll, Obama’s unfavorables among independents rose to 31%. The Fox poll shows that in the last two months, Obama's unfavorables have increased by nine points (33 to 42%) while his favorables decreased by seven points (54 to 47%). In the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama’s negative ratings increased by five points in the last month (32 to 37%) while his positive ratings decreased by three points in the last month (49 to 46%).

CLINTON STRONGEST AMONG SWING VOTING BLOCS: The new AP-Ipsos poll shows Clinton leading McCain among seniors (51-39) but has McCain BEATING Obama (49-38). She runs stronger against McCain with those under 30 than Obama does, pulling two-thirds of the young vote while Obama gets 55% against McCain. And she wins the Catholic vote against McCain (58-35) while McCain beats Obama (46-43).

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











Thursday, May 01, 2008

I Hate The War

Being for Barack means never telling the truth. Take War Hawk Susan Rice. Don Worthington (Fayetteville Observer) reports: "Rice also likes Obama because he opposed the war in Iraq. Rice was against it, too, initially taking a lot of ribbing from colleagues." Oh, was little Council on/for/of Foreign Relations against it? Was wittle wiar Rice against it?

What John Kerry is saying is that when we have a commander in chief who tells our allies the truth, whose judgment they trust, who is willing to give them a real political and economic stake in our common venture in Iraq, that, yes, we do think that there will be an opportunity for more allies to come on board. But that's only one piece of it. Training Iraqi security personnel and police is absolutely critical. For over a year after the end of hostilities, this administration was AWOL on that job. They finally put in place Gen. Portrayis, who is a great guy doing a very good job but they're not giving him the resources to get the job done.

That's liar Susan Rice, September 20, 2004, The NewsHour, schilling for another loser candidate. It's no surprise she'd go from the effete John Kerry (who looked like Ichobod Crane) to the equally effete Barack Obama who always looks as if he's male model stumbling through a photo shoot. And for the record, it's General David Petraeus, but that's PBS' typo. There's Susan Rice, in 2004, bragging about Petraeus and whining that he's not getting "the resources to get the job done." Yeah, she's a regular peace advocate, isn't she?

No, she's a filthy liar. She couldn't tell the truth if her career depended upon it. Here she is being busted for lying in January:

Today on MSNBC, Obama campaign advisor Susan Rice falsely claimed that Sen. Obama and Hillary have voted differently on Iraq since joining the Senate. Rice claimed these vote differences reflected Sen. Obama's "different position" on the war:
JANSING: Bill Clinton made the point that in the senate Barack Obama voted exactly the same way that senator Hillary Clinton has on Iraq, and is there a vote where they took different positions?
RICE: Yes, they have taken different positions from the beginning…Since coming to the senate, he has been very clear in pushing every year 2005, 2006, and 2007 for a withdrawal of our forces. Senator Clinton took the view for a good part of that period that it would be premature and unwise to signal that the U.S. was prepared to withdraw, to set a timeline or a deadline.
Actually, with the exception of Sen. Obama's vote to promote Gen. Casey, one of the chief architects of the war, his voting record is exactly the same as Hillary. Hillary and Sen. Obama have never voted differently on troop withdrawals, timelines or deadlines.
Full list of votes available
here.

And, of course, in November of 2005, she was participating with her gal pal Sarah Sewer (aka Sewall) for the discussion "Counterinsurgency in Iraq: Implications of Irregular Warfare for the USG." Oh, yeah, Leslie Cagan, watch your back, Susan Rice is going to take over the peace movement! Susan Rice is trash and she consistently gets caught lying. You don't hear about that because Liars Lie For Liars. So Amy Goodman ignores Susan Rice, ignores her errors, ignores her long support for the illegal war which includes support for "counter-insurgency" which is nothing but attacking civilians. She's disgusting trash and she seems to think if she lies often enough people will believe her.

There's a little thing called the public record which stands in her way. Or should. But look at the way hack Spencer Ackerman glossed over Sarah Sewall at the end of March. He was schilling hard for her. He probably really is that stupid and is unaware that Sewall has declared that the Iraq War must not be seen as a failure because that judgement would prevent future interventions (she meant wars). Now some might see that and think, "Well, she said that in 2004! She's stupid but it's old!" Uh, she said it in December of 2007 on The Charlie Rose Show. As late as the end of last year, she was screeching that the Iraq War cannot and will not be lost.

Bambi's surrounded by these dementos and Panhandle Media gives him a pass. The same way he's given a pass for his remarks (what he really meant . . .), his advisors are not seen as reflective on him -- no matter how many weirdos are on board advising him. (Ackerman was the war cheerleader who allegedly woke up. A close examination of his writing will never bear out the rumors of an 'awakening.')

Here's 'always against the Iraq War' Susan Rice in December 2002 writing with fellow 'doves' Mikey O'Hanlon and Jamie Steinberg:

The case of Iraqi s particularly significan, since it lies at the heart of the administration's argument for adopting a broad approach to preemption. The weight of the evidence concering Saddam Hussein's past behavior suggests that he is difficult to deter, and that strong U.S. credibility is needed to accomplish that -- but not that he is undeterrable. . . . The strongest argument for making sure that Saddam Hussein never acquires nuclear weapons is that, if he possed them, he would be less constrained and therefore would become much more dangerous in the region.

In between, Rice and her boys repeat all the lies from the administration. (The ". . . ." section.) She is a liar. She was not against the illegal war and her piece did evertyhing to argue for it. Saddam Husein had a history of being deterred and for Rice to dismiss that and to raise the (false) issue of international terrorism (and al Qaeda) really refutes her lie today that she was against the illegal war. She was part of the roll out for the illegal war.

The piece was entitled "The New National Security Strategy and Preemption" and google it if you want to find it. Brookings Institute says they've redesigned their website and I can't find a link for it through the search function. (Type in the title -- with quotes around it -- and you should find a cached version somewhere.) Susan Rice is not a dove. She is a War Hawk. And she is a liar. (She also wants war on Africa which is what she and gal pals Sarah Sewer and Sammy Power giggle about over pillow fights, I'm sure.) If you can't grasp that fact, you may be one of the dupes who still thinks of Mikey O'Hanlon (all this time later) as a "war critic."

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 4050. Tonight? 4065. Up 15 since last week -- and a few in the press noted it. (No fair pointing out that this may have been only because the month ended this week.) Just Foreign Policy lists 1,205,025 up from 1,201,597 as the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the Iraq War.

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