The above is from a McClatchy Iraqi correspondent writing about the notification that the price of electricity was increasing in "New Prices For The Same Old Bad Service" (Inside Iraq). The sixth anniversary of the start of the illegal war is two months away and that's what passes for 'improvements' in Iraq.
The incoming vice president, Joe Biden, traveled to Iraq yesterday. Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) notes the violence on the ground during the visit as well as this:
Biden met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a staunch U.S. ally, whose office said in a statement that Biden had assured the Iraqis that "Obama and the new administration are Iraq's friends."
The Democratic senator from Delaware, accompanied by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), didn't speak to reporters during his first day in Baghdad, and a spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy said there was no plan to organize a news conference Tuesday.
AP adds that Biden also met with "Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih." Not listed but he also met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. AP does note that Graham and Biden had dinner with members of Delaware's National Guard including Beau Biden. The visit continued today and China's Xinhau reports he met with Nouri al-Maliki today.
In this morning's New York Times the only article filed from Iraq is Timothy Williams' "8 Killed in Baghdad Bombings; Biden Visits Iraqi President" and, yes, the online headline is better than the print one (the print headline is the one we've quoted) and he notes:
Most of the bombs on Monday morning appeared to have been aimed at Iraqi Army or police convoys, but half of the dead and a vast majority of the wounded were civilians, according to Iraqi government officials.
The first two explosions occurred simultaneously about 8 a.m. along a busy street in eastern Baghdad, as a police patrol passed a bakery shop.
One of the blasts came from a car packed with explosives that had been parked on the street, while the second was from an explosive device known as a sticky bomb, an Interior Ministry official said. A sticky bomb can be attached to a vehicle, often with a magnet. The simultaneous bombings killed three people and wounded 10 others, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media.
Biden ran with Barack Obama on the Democratic presidential ticket that won November's election. November's election. Meaning the hard data is more than in on the makeup of the electorate and if lazy ass 'reporters' can't stop repeating media myths and start reporting reality, we can call them out by name here. There's no excuse at this late date to not know the data. McClatchy remains one of the worst offenders. Media myths are never justifiable but repeating them after the data is known is journalistic malpractice and it says a great deal about how little value the news outlets have for consumers that they'd rather repeat lies and attempt to pass them off as truth. In a troubled economy, lying to consumers probably isn't the way to go.
From Iraq to the so-called 'anti-war' movement. All the losers show up for Barbara Barrett's "At Obama's inauguration, activists will walk a fine line" (McClatchy Newspapers via Idaho Statesman):
With Obama's election, however, liberal organizations that have spent eight years blocking streets now find themselves working to change their message for this inauguration.
"We're not doing a protest," Bearden said. "We're working on having a progressive presence."
That means no chanting and no blocking the city streets as she and others did last year at an event marking the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq.
Instead, the coalition plans on having a community teach-in at Meridian Hill Park, which is some distance from Pennsylvania Avenue. A few blocks from the White House at McPherson Square, they'll ask visitors to sign a "No Soldier Left Behind" petition.
"Eight years ago and four years ago . . . the message was clear and easy to deliver," said Jodie Evans, a co-founder of the antiwar organization CodePink. "As antiwar activists, to be effective, the bar has been lifted. You have to create a tone that reflects the tone Obama has taken."
Can someone tell Jodie that divorcing money didn't make her an expert on anything nor did her make-work jobs on various losing California campaigns? No one takes Jodie seriously or mistakes her for a peace voice anymore. Jodie's ignorance was showing when she and I-Need-Attention Benjamin decided to become propaganda tools for the Iranian government recently. Reza Fiyouzat called that nonsense out in "Code Pink in Iran" (Dissident Voice) and, as usual, Jodie showed up to lie. As usual? Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, Jodie open her mouth, she gotta lie . . .
And Crazy Ass Jodie got off one lie after another including that she wasn't enthralled with Barack, "To say that CODEPINK is supportive of Obama is a misreading, while in Iran I was quoted in Politico about the Hillary Clinton appointment. One of the few people on the left to be speaking out."
"I was quoted in Politico"?
Goodness Jodie, do you travel with your press clippings?
Like most of the non-Democratic left, Jodie can scream like a banshee about Hillary Clinton and somehow expects people to see that as a critique of Corporatist War Hawk Barack. No, Jodie, it just proves that you hate a woman and you're pathetic life is filled with nothing but hatred for one woman. But Jodie didn't get away with her lies, did she? No, she got served in the comments.
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paola said on December 2nd, 2008 at 8:39am #
Jodie Evans
i read the whole codepink diary from Iran, and i couldn’t find any criticism of the iranian regime. On the contrary, code pink activists continuously praise the freedom enjoyed by iranian people and expecially by iranian women.
For instance, you wrote:
“As the parliamentarians reminded us earlier in the day, “We may not have all the rights women have in the US, but we have free health care and education.” That seems to have contributed to strengthening women’s voices in Iran and Dr. Roustani finished the night declaring, ‘Women will be the leaders in Iran.’”
After today, I can believe it. ”
http://codepink4peace.org/blog/2008/11/day-2-in-iran-jodies-diary/And this is Mrs. Benjamin’s blog:
I” have been comparing the atmosphere here to that of Iraq under Saddam Hussein and here it is very different. People in Iraq were afraid to speak out against Saddam, people in Iran aren’t. In a first moment i thought that Mrs. Medea Benjamin meant that people in Iran aren’t afraid to speak out against Saddam ;-), but she added : “While most wouldn’t want to be filmed venting against their government, they talk to us in an amazingly open fashion, barely looking over their shoulders to see if anyone is listening.”
http://codepink4peace.org/blog/2008/11/day-1-in-iran-medeas-diary/
etc. etc.Reading code pink blog, it would seem that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a paradise on earth and the land of freedom. Of course you and Code Pink have the full right to defend and praise the iranian theocracy, but you cannot say that you and your group criticize the ayatollahs’ regime.
And after your meeting with Ahmadinejad in New York you issued the following statement:
“It’s rare for a head of state to take time during an official U.N. visit to meet with the peace community, especially in a situation where the host government—represented by the Bush administration—is so hostile,” said Evans, co-founder of CODEPINK. “The fact that the meeting took place and was so positive is, in itself, a major step forward.”
http://codepink4peace.org/blog/2008/09/official-release-leading-codepink-activists-and-other-peace-organizations-meet-with-iranian-president-in-new-york/Morevover, you were widely quoted as saying that Ahamdinejad is “really about peace and human rights and respecting justice.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Jodie+Evans++%22really+about+peace+and+human+rights&start=0&sa=N&filter=0
I don’t know if you really said it. But if you did, it seems to me that you didn’t blame him that much….As regards Obama, code pink enthusiastically supported him and ecstatically hailed his election as a a victory for the peace movement:
These are your own words from your website:
Like the rest of the world, CODEPINK is emboldened by Sen. Barack Obama’s victory in a historic presidential election.
The victory came through the hard work of millions within the progressive peace and justice movement within the past six years, bolstered by a values shift among the majority of Americans and their growing demand and faith in change — including an end to war. It is a victory for the movement and inspiration for further change!
“Americans have stood up to say they know the cost of war in lives, dignity and money,” said Jodie Evans, CODEPINK cofounder. “Being against war is the winning decision. They are ready for change. War is so over.”
http://www.codepink4peace.org/article.php?id=4508And this is obama’s official website:
Who are Senator Obama’s bundlers?
Raising from $50,000 to $100,000: [...]
Jodie Evans (Los Angeles, CA)Well, you don’t like Clinton. So what? You supported Obama all the same.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
mcclatchy newspapers
the washington post
ernesto londono
the new york times
timothy williams
reza fiyouzat
barbara barrett
jodie evans
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