Saturday, May 15, 2010

Ignoring the Arab world (again)

Meanwhile, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal accused Maliki of trying to hijack the results of the election.
"Adding to the brutal mayhem taking place there, we are watching a deliberate effort on the part of the incumbent prime minister, Mr al-Maliki, to hijack the results of the election and deny the Iraqi people their legitimately elected government," Prince Turki said in Riyadh.
"The consequences of that are more bloodshed and potential civil war," said Prince Turki, who has no official position but is believed to often reflect high-level Saudi thinking.

The above is from Hassan Abdul Zahra's "Iraq's Maliki edges nearer power as rival warns of civil war" (AFP). The gist is that Moqtada al-Sadr -- forever the slave of Iran -- has dropped his objections to Nouri as prime minister (according to Moqtada's spokesperson) and has rolled over on his back and shown his belly in some form of plea for mercy while Ayad Allawi is warning that sectarian violence will increase. The US did a lousy job and Chris Hill can't be air lifted out soon enough. It's appalling and no one seem to want to think -- too scared to? -- what this means in the Arab world but we'll again that's it's not good. That's why we excerpted the above and not any of Moqtada's weakness and b.s. He'll always be a weakling, always be a slave to Iran. Moqtada's a joke and has made himself a bigger one today. In an editorial, the Arab Times calls on Nouri to either assist Allawi in forming a government or to step aside:

A recount of 2.5 million votes in Baghdad has shown there was no fraud as alleged by outgoing Premier Nuri Al-Maliki. The election result therefore remains unaffected. The main challenger, Iyad Allawi, remains two seats ahead of Al-Maliki’s Shiite coalition. Now fully two months after the general election, it is high time Iraq’s political leaders quit their squabbling and formed a new government.
Al-Maliki may have had grounds to question the results in the capital where his coalition won the most seats. However, the Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) rejection of his fraud allegations ought to be the turning point in this dangerously protracted process. It is hard to dismiss suspicions that Al-Maliki’s recount call was a desperate and cynical maneuver to delay the inevitable. Iraq’s voters gave no single group a clear mandate. It is therefore up to the politicians to cut the inevitable deal and form a new and stable government.
This two-month hiatus has only given heart to the insurgents and provided despair for millions of ordinary citizens who wanted more from their elected leaders. The election was never about power pure and simple but about the allocation of power across a rainbow mix of parties that would have perforce to work together. Yet Al-Maliki and his allies, whatever their intentions, have given a depressing impression of politicians scrambling to hang on to power by any means possible. The tragedy is that still lodged alarmingly within the body politic is the idea that any one community can dominate. Iraq does indeed have a Shiite majority but by no means all the Shiite voted the Al-Maliki coalition. Indeed a significant minority, along with many Sunnis, appears to have backed Iyad Allawi’s secular Iraqiya grouping. Allawi, himself a Shiite, has made no secret of his vision that Iraq will be governed by Iraqis for Iraqis.


In the rush into illegal war, the Arab concerns were ignored. Apparently the same mistake will again be made. Don't be surprised by the fallout that will follow.

In some of today's reported violence, Reuters notes Iranian artillery injured and Iraqi woman in Sulaimaniya, a Mosul grenade attack injured one male, a Mosul roadside bombing injured two Iraqi service members and an al-Hadhar land mine claimed the life of a local shepherd.


At Inside Iraq, a McClatchy Newspaper Iraqi journalist notes the kidnapping and murder of Iraqi journalist Sardasht Osman and asks:

But what killed Osman?

Below are links to what many say led to Osman's death

I am in love with Massud Barzani’s daughter

Days later Osman wrote this article

I Heard the First Ring of My Death


The following community sites have updated since yesterday morning:





"THIS JUST IN! SWANSON'S SPINE COLLAPSES!"
"The tragically pathetic David Swanson"
"C.I. socks it to David Swanson"

And we'll close with this from Kenneth J. Theisen's "Censorship and Kangaroo Courts: Alive and Well in Obama Administration" (World Can't Wait):

As I have reported here before the Obama administration is using kangaroo courts known as military tribunals at the Guantánamo military base.
These “legal” proceedings have proven to be an embarrassment to the administration and in its latest move it is trying to silence the media in its reports from Gitmo.
The Pentagon has banned four reporters from future Guantánamo Military Commissions’ proceedings for reporting the name of a witness in the pre-trial hearings of Guantánamo detainee Omar Khadr. At these hearings even the government’s own witnesses have revealed some of the abuse that Omar has been subjected to in his years of incarceration in U.S. hellholes.

The identity of the witness had already been disclosed in previous news reports and an on-the-record interview he gave in 2008 to the media. The four reporters that are subject to the ban are Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald, Michelle Shephard of the Toronto Star, Paul Koring of the Globe and Mail and Steven Edwards of CanWest.



And if you're feeling a little short changed by Saturday's output, my apologies. Not my denial. We landed over an hour ago and, no sooner do I get home then I learn I have a surprise visitor from England. Within several hours, I have to start working all night with Third Estate Sunday Review so this is it in terms of the time I have, something had to give and it was this. My apologies.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.












thomas friedman is a great man






oh boy it never ends


















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


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Friday, May 14, 2010

Iraq snapshot

Friday, May 14, 2010.  Chaos and violence continue,
 
 
Oh, the stupidity.  The Status Of Forces Agreement is a contract (it's a treaty) and as such it can be extended.  We've gone over and over that point while idiots who want to pretend they know something about the law gas bag to the contrary.  They don't know what the hell they're talking about.
 
We will spoon food one more time.  If the SOFA could not be extended (or replaced with another contract), then you would not have Nouri al-Maliki speaking of US troops ever staying beyond the end of 2011, right?  If it ends the war and the US occupation, then that's that.  That means, since Thanksgiving 2008, I have been wrong and I have wrongly interpreted the SOFA and I didn't know what I was talking about.  Except . . . Let's drop back to the July 23, 2009 snapshot for this little detail:
 
 Aljazeera reports, "The Iraqi prime minister has admitted US troops could stay in the country beyond 2011."  Yeah, he did it today and it's only a surprise if you've never grasped what the Status Of Forces Agrement does and does not do.  The Washington Post, for example, has one person on staff who understands the SOFA completely.  That's one more than the New York Times has.  Drop back to real time coverage (Thanksgiving 2008) and you'll see the Washington Post could explain what it did and didn't do and get it right.  No other US outlet can make that claim.  (The Los Angeles Times hedged their bets but did appear to grasp it in an article co-written by Tina Susman.)  McClatchy Newspapers?  Oh goodness, Leila Fadel made an idiot of herself over the SOFA.  Even more so than the New York Times (Elisabeth Bumiller -- in December and January -- offered some realities but they were lost on the other reporters at the paper).  The Times just got it wrong.  Fadel got it wrong and sang praises of it.  It wasn't reporting, it was column writing passed off as such.  Today, Nouri declared, "Nevertheless, if the Iraqis require further training and support we shall examine this at the time, based on the needs of Iraq." Sound familiar?  It should.  This month you should have heard Adm Mike Mullen make the same statement, you should have heard General Ray Odierno make it over and over beginning in May and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has made it many times -- generally he's asked when he's visiting a foreign country because US reporters don't really seem to care.   One exception would certainly be Dahr Jamail who was on KPFA's Flashpoints yesterday and explained, "We still have over 130,000 troops in Iraq. Troops are not being withdrawn from Iraq. They are being relocated to different bases, some of the bases still within cities, but they are not being withdrawn thus far." Dahr's latest book The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan has just been released this month.  IPA provides this context from Global Policy Forum's James Paul: "For all the talk of 'U.S. withdrawal' from Iraq, the reality on the ground is starkly different. U.S. troops still patrol the cities, in flagrant violation of the U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, while Washington remains hugely influential in the politics of the country. The gigantic U.S. embassy looms large in Baghdad, U.S. forces still hold thousands of Iraqi prisoners in the vast U.S. prison camp in the southern desert, dozens of U.S. military bases remain in place including the sprawling 'Camp Victory' complex in Baghdad and Washington continues to press towards its ultimate goal -- the de facto privatization of Iraq's vast oil resources."  
 
Nouri spoke of US forces remaining beyond the SOFA's 'withdrawal' -- that firm, firm SOFA.  Ooops.  That's because it's a contract.  Both parties can follow every detail on the page and still decide that they want to extend it.  That's how contracts work. We'll be kind and not name today's idiot, but, oh, the stupidity.
 
Idiot wants to pretend he knows the SOFA and he knows the law.  He gives no indication that he knows either.  First, he's unaware that a contract can be extended by the parties involved the agreement or replaced with another contract.  The SOFA only exists to replace the UN mandate (the earlier contract which provided legal cover -- post-invasion -- for the occupation).  The SOFA could be replaced with something else.  Blathering on like an idiot, Idiot writes about "the governing document here is the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement which calls for a withdrawal of combat forces by the end of the summer and all forces by the end of 2011."
 
I'm not in the mood kids. Idiot doesn't understand the law.  And the quote demonstrates he doesn't understand the SOFA.  The SOFA has no call, repeating NO CALL, for a withdrawal of combat foces by the end of the summer.  Why would it have that?  Bush didn't put it in.  That's Barack.  And that's not in the SOFA.  The SOFA was pushed through the Iraqi Parliament on Thanksgiving day 2008.  Barack hadn't been sworn in.  So sorry, Idiot, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.  Read the SOFA and find the end of summer reference.  It's not in there.  (If the SOFA's too difficult for you to master, you can refer to Karen DeYoung's Washington Post report from last March.)
 
On the topic of the drawdown, we'll note Brian Montopoli (CBS News) today:
 
As CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin reported Thursday, "first the delay in the Iraqi elections and then the dispute over the results has forced Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander in Iraq, to slow down his withdrawal plans."                 
"Right now, it is still possible to move that many troops - but just barely," wrote Martin. "Any further delay in the drawdown will cause him to miss the deadline."
 
 
With a complicit Democratic majority in Congress, and a Republican minority all too eager to keep us bogged down in Iraq until Kingdom come, no one is holding the Obama administration accountable -- and the American public, which never hears anything about Iraq in the "mainstream" media, doesn't even know what's happening. They voted for Obama, in the Democratic primaries and the general election, in large part because he promised to end the war. That he now appears to be reneging on his firm pledge comes as no surprise to us foreign policy mavens, never mind observers of the Obama Method -- which is to strike an angular stance, and then come up with all sorts of convincing reasons for abandoning his position.                 
To the majority of Americans, however, the pledge to get out of Iraq is carved in stone, and the only way to erase it is to shatter the tablet on which the President's electoral mandate is written.                             
What the Democrats are counting on is the complicity of the "opposition" party, which is not going to make Iraq an election year issue -- except insofar as they see it as a "model" for how to win the war in Afghanistan. The administration is also counting on the silence of the "antiwar" left, in congress and at the grassroots, simply because these forces -- easily bought off, and/or intimidated -- haven't given them any reason to worry in the past.
 
 
Counter-insurgency is war against a native people.  It's colonialism and it was used to trick and then attack and slaughter the Native Americans and it was used during Vietnam and at other periods.  It has a long, long history and a long, long history of human rights activists calling this war on a people out.  But that history sorts drops by the wayside in the last ten years.  While some have called it out -- and certainly James Cameron's Avatar drove the message home on what counter-insurgeny actually is -- people have been grossly silent.  Barack groupies, of course, have to remain silent because Samantha Power, Sarah Sewell, Monty McFate, all of those counter-insurgency 'gurus' are Barack boosters and groupies don't call out their own.  There is a development on the counter-insurgency front.  Nancy A. Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers) reports it is now under internal criticism, "The biggest spur, however, is a growing recognition that large-scale counterinsurgency battles have high casualty rates for troops and civilians, eat up equipment that must be replaced and rarely end in clear victory or defeat." 
 
Sahwa ("Awakening" Council and Sons Of Iraq are two other names) can be seen as a form of counter-insurgency or, more honestly, as paying the playground bully not to beat you up.  Sahwa are Sunni fighters the US government put on the tax payer payroll because, as General David Petraeus and then-US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker repeatedly explained to the US Congress in April 2008, it stopped the Sahwa from attacking US military equipment and the US military.  Nouri was supposed to have put them on the Iraqi payroll.  It was announced repeatedly -- including in November 2009 -- but never really happened because "payroll" would mean every one of them would be paid and would be paid regularly.  Martin Chulov (Guardian) reports that the Sahwa remain under threat and their leaders are assigned bodyguards while Nouri continues to distrust them:
 
Major general Mudhir al-Mawla, the director of the Sons of Iraq file in Iraq's national reconciliation commission, confirmed the scepticism in the government: "Ever since they began, there have been members of Maliki's administration who oppose them," he said. "They said they are like a militia and they all need to be disarmed. But they have played a very important role in giving precise information because they are locals. They know the locals and they know where their allegiances lie."              
In March last year, in a move that underscored the distrust, Maliki's troops arrested a Sons of Iraq leader in the central Baghdad district of Fadhil and a two-day battle ensued. Ever since, he has been reluctant to travel to the frontline areas.                     
"[Maliki] came here once," said Awakening Council leader Sabah al-Mashadani in what was once another no-go zone in Baghdad, the former battlefield suburb of Adamiyeh. "He was very surprised when he was well received. He said: 'I thought everyone hated me here'."              
In Arab Jabour, Sheikh Moustafa has never seen the prime minister, but he has seen his special forces, who arrested the sheikh in January on trumped up charges that he had killed five local men in 2007. The US military quickly took responsibility for the killings and Sheikh Moustafa was released in Maliki's name.
 
Sahwa asserts they protect the region from al Qaeda in Iraq.  Lu Hui (Xinhua) reports, "Iraqi al-Qaida group has nominated its new leader called "minister of war" and vowed to continue deadly attacks with "dark days in blood color," said a statement posted on a militant website on Friday. The so-called "minister of war" of the Islamic State of Iraq was identified as al-Nasser Lideen Allah Abu Suleiman and he will replace Abu Ayyub al-Musri, who was killed in a military operation by Iraqi and U.S. forces last month"
 
Turning to Iraq, Liz Sly and Raheem Salman (Los Angeles Times) declare, "In an embarrassing rejection of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's efforts to overturn his rival's lead in Iraq's inconclusive parliamentary election, a laborious manual recount of votes in Baghdad has turned up no evidence of electoral fraud and will not change the final outcome, officials said Friday." I disagree and we'll get to why in a moment. Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) states "it's not good news for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki" and I disagree with that as well. Gabriel Gatehouse (BBC News) reports, "It took 11 days to recount by hand all 2.5m [million] ballots cast in Baghdad and the surrounding area. A spokesman for the electoral commission said the results would be made public on Monday and sent to the court for ratification." Khalid al-Ansary, Waleed Ibrahim, Jim Loney and Matthew Jones (Reuters) quote Independent High Electoral Commission spokesperson Qassim al-Aboudi stating, "There is no proof . . . that there was fraud or manipulation or big mistakes." 
 
This is embarrassing for Nouri how? It be great if it were but how is it embarrassing if it is?  Because no fraud was found?  International observers were very clear that there was no fraud when Nouri was demanding a recount.  If nothing had changed since then, this might be slightly embarrassing for Nouri.  His political slate -- predicted to win -- had lost.  If that were still the case, the recount results would be a major ha-ha.
 
But that's not how things stand.  And the way it appears is Nouri stomped his feet for a recount but that was only one of the many stalling techniques he utilized to buy time to circumvent the Constitution and build a coalition.  Screaming that there was fraud in the Baghdad recounts meant that others wouldn't rush to build a coalition with Ayad Allawi's slate (Iraqiya).  Screaming fraud meant others might fear Allawi's lead would disappear.  It bought time and Nouri, by that take, doesn't look embarrassed, he looks extremely crafty.  Well played, puppet, well played.  That hypothesis would explain why Steven Lee Myers (New York Times) reports, "Mr. Maliki's supporters had once claimed that the recount could reverse as many as 20 seats, but a spokesman, Ali al-Mousawi, said on Friday evening that Mr. Maliki would 'respect the results of the recount in Baghdad, whatever they were'."
 
 
Meanwhile Josh Rogin (Foreign Policy) reports on the post-no-fraud-recount scene in Iraq:
 
If Maliki is confirmed as Iraq's next prime minister, the U.S. will have a partner it knows well and has been carefully handling throughout the process. While some believe Maliki's actions in recent weeks show he will use any means to stay in power, the embassy's view is that he is something of an opportunist and can be encouraged to curb questionable behavior.            
"Like any politician, Maliki will use all legal and political tools at his disposal," a senior embassy official said, referring to Maliki's work with the Accountability and Justice Commission, the controversial de-Baathification commission controlled by Ahmed Chalabi and Ali Faisal al-Lami.              
Both Hill and his military counterpart, Gen. Raymond Odierno, have said publicly that Chalabi and Lami are heavily influenced by Iran and the embassy has no illusions about their goal. "This is an organization of questionable legitimacy employing less than transparent means to challenge a legitimate election," the senior embassy official said.                 
He also confirmed reports that Hill will leave in July and be replaced by Ambassador to Turkey Jim Jeffrey. Stuart E. Jones, a deputy assistant secretary who handles Balkan affairs, will replace Baghdad No. 2 Robert Ford, who is still waiting out his stalled nomination process to become ambassador to Syria. Jones was previously the deputy chief of mission in Cairo.            
 
 
In Tal Afar today, Iraqis attempting to enjoy a football game were greeted with bombings.  BBC News reports at least 10 people are dead and one-hundred-and-twenty wounded after a car bombing "at the entrance to the stadium" with possible bombings then following the first explosion. Khalid al-Tayi (AFP) notes the deaht toll climbed to 25 (cites Interior Ministry official for that figure) and quotes Hussein Nashad stating, "We heard a loud explosion and the people behind me shielded me from the shrapnel. I ran away, but then I heard someone shout 'Allahu akbar' (God is greatest), and then there was another explosion." Al Jazeera explains, "Friday's attacks follow blasts in the city last October and July that left dozens of people dead. In March 2007, 152 people were killed when truck bombs targeted markets in the town."  In other reported violence . . .
 
Bombings?
 
Reuters notes a Baghdad bombing which claimed 4 lives and left eight people injured, a Mahaweel bombing which injured seventeen people and a failed bombing attempt in Tuz Khurmato on a provincial council member (who is also a Turkmen).
 
Shootings?
 
 
Reuters notes 1 police officer and one security guard were shot dead in Falluja by unknown assailants with silencers and 1 tailor ("specialising in military uniforms") were shot dead in Mosul.
 
 
In other Iraq news, Wednesday the Center for Disease Control issued an alert for a Q Fever Infection:

Increasing reports of Q fever among deployed U.S. military personnel due to endemic transmission in Iraq, as well as a large ongoing outbreak of Q fever in the Netherlands, may place travelers to these regions at risk for infection. Healthcare providers in the United States should consider Q fever in the differential diagnosis of persons with febrile illness, pneumonia or hepatitis who have recently been in Iraq or the Netherlands. Physicians are encouraged to submit samples for proper laboratory testing and contact the CDC for consultation if needed. Q fever cases in travelers should be promptly reported to proper authorities.                                

Background         
Since Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced in 2003, over 200 cases of acute Q fever have been reported among U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq. Since several of these cases were identified after returning to the U.S. or when they were no longer serving on active military duty, a heightened awareness for Q fever infection occurring in military personnel and civilian contractors is necessary to ensure prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Q fever is endemic in the Middle East, and transmission may be influenced by hot, dusty conditions and livestock farming practices which may facilitate windborne spread.
In addition, a large number of Q fever cases have occurred in the Netherlands since 2007, with over 3,700 human cases reported through March 2010. Infected dairy goat farms are believed to be the source of the outbreak, and the majority of human cases have been reported in the southern region of the country. To date, no imported cases of Q fever have been reported among American travelers returning home from the Netherlands.                          
Because travelers to these countries may have a higher likelihood of exposure to Q fever, the CDC Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch advises that physicians evaluate travelers returning from Iraq (particularly military personnel and civilian contractors) and the Netherlands with febrile illness, pneumonia or hepatitis for potential Q fever infection. Probable and confirmed cases should be reported to their local or state health department.                      

Q Fever Illness                         

Q fever is a zoonotic disease with both acute and chronic phases caused by the pathogen Coxiella burnetii. The primary mode of transmission to humans is inhalation of aerosols or dust contaminated by infected animals, most commonly cattle, sheep or goats. Direct animal contact is not required for transmission to occur as the organism may be spread by dust or wind. Infections via ingestion of contaminated dairy products and human-to-human transmission via sexual contact have rarely been reported. Q fever does occur in the United States, but fewer than 200 cases are reported annually.                        
Although asymptomatic infections may occur, an unexplained febrile illness, sometimes accompanied by pneumonia and/or hepatitis, is the most common clinical presentation. Illness onset typically occurs within 2–3 weeks after exposure. The mortality rate for acute Q fever is low (1–2%), and the majority of persons with mild illness recover spontaneously within a few weeks although antibiotic treatment will shorten the duration of illness and lessen the risk of complications. Chronic Q fever is uncommon (<1% of acutely infected patients) but may cause life-threatening heart valve disease (endocarditis). Patients with pre-existing heart valve disorders, pregnant women, and immunosuppressed persons are at increased risk for developing chronic Q fever. A Q fever vaccine is not commercially available in the United States and antibiotic prophylaxis is not recommended.                              

Recommendations      

Physicians seeing a patient -- particularly military personnel or a civilian contractor - who has an illness consistent with Q fever and who has traveled to Iraq or the Netherlands in the 30 days prior to illness onset should perform appropriate laboratory testing. Serologic testing should be requested for IgG and IgM antibodies against C. burnetii Phase I and II antigen using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). PCR assays may be conducted on whole blood samples in the early stages of illness and prior to initiation of antibiotic therapy.

 
 
TV notes, Washington Week begins airing on many PBS stations tonight (and throughout the weekend, check local listings) and joining Gwen around the table this week are Charles Babington (AP), Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post), Martha Raddatz (ABC News) and Pete Williams (NBC News). And Gwen's column this week is "The Blog Wars." Remember that the show podcasts in video and audio format -- and a number of people sign up for each (audio is thought to be so popular due to the fact that it downloads so much quicker). If you podcast the show, remember there is the Web Extra where Gwen and the guests weigh in on topics viewers e-mail about. And also remember that usually by Monday afternoon you can go to the show's website and stream it there (including Web Extra) as well as read the transcripts and more. Meanwhile Bonnie Erbe will sit down with Melinda Henneberger, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Genevieve Wood on the latest broadcast of PBS' To The Contrary to discuss the week's events. And at the website each week, there's an extra just for the web from the previous week's show and this week's it's the homophobic 'leader' who traveled with a paid male escort who hires himself out for sex. For the broadcast program, check local listings, on many stations, it begins airing tonight. And turning to broadcast TV, Sunday CBS' 60 Minutes:

The Blow Out
Scott Pelley investigates the explosion that killed 11, causing the ongoing oil leak in the waters off of Louisiana, and speaks to one of the oil rig platform crew survivors who was in a position to know what caused the disaster and how it could have been prevented. The report contains never-before-seen footage of the minutes after the explosion and new information about what led up to it.

Gustavo Dudamel
Now that he is the musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel wants to transplant in the U.S. the Venezuelan child orchestra system that changed his life. Bob Simon reports.

60 Minutes, Sunday, May 16, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

 
 

Posted by at

Rainmondo tells the truth, Swanson offers more bitchy

With a complicit Democratic majority in Congress, and a Republican minority all too eager to keep us bogged down in Iraq until Kingdom come, no one is holding the Obama administration accountable -- and the American public, which never hears anything about Iraq in the "mainstream" media, doesn’t even know what's happening. They voted for Obama, in the Democratic primaries and the general election, in large part because he promised to end the war. That he now appears to be reneging on his firm pledge comes as no surprise to us foreign policy mavens, never mind observers of the Obama Method -- which is to strike an angular stance, and then come up with all sorts of convincing reasons for abandoning his position.
To the majority of Americans, however, the pledge to get out of Iraq is carved in stone, and the only way to erase it is to shatter the tablet on which the President’s electoral mandate is written.
What the Democrats are counting on is the complicity of the “opposition” party, which is not going to make Iraq an election year issue -- except insofar as they see it as a "model" for how to win the war in Afghanistan. The administration is also counting on the silence of the "antiwar" left, in congress and at the grassroots, simply because these forces -- easily bought off, and/or intimidated -- haven't given them any reason to worry in the past.

The above is from Justin Raimondo's "Iraq: The Endless Occupation" (Antiwar.com) and that is what reality sounds like. Can't find it on most of the left these days. Too busy lying and offering excuses. Too busy playing the quiet game. That's the reality we, once upon a time, could get at, for example, The Nation magazine. These days they wallow in hypocrisy -- so much so that they hire Lie Face Melissa Harris-Lacewell. A worker for Barack's campaign. Who went on PBS and Pacifica and 'forgot' to disclose that fact while playing 'independent' commentator. They are the Liar Class and they are always with us.

On The Takeaway (PRI) today, John Hockenberry notes, "The Obama administration claims it is sticking to its timetable for the drawdown of 50,000 US troops in Iraq by early September but that's despite continuing violence across the country. And Iraq's March elections? Not decisive and there's been continuing chaos in forming a new government." This leads into a conversation with Caitlin Waters whose husband Mark Waters is currently serving in Iraq and Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group.

And Sahwa and other topics will have to wait because when an airhead comes knocking, who can stop laughing?

David Swanson writes:


Obama should be in prison.
As should anyone who votes for anyone who funds illegal wars.
The two parties should be eliminated.

Try to read it a few times to find the Democratic conspiracy hidden deep within.
If you can't find it, try suspecting it isn't there.
Then read books, including mine, which will help prevent future paranoia at least about me.

Peace,
David

David Swanson, such a little bitch, isn't he? Such a catty little bitch.

Your 'writing'?


Did you really go there?

I believe Ann called you out on your 'writing' that appears at your website not all that long ago:

But that's not saying much and that really captures David Swanson. I should also note that he reposted a community blog in full and that's always ticked me off. If you don't get why I would be offended by that, you don't know who my husband is: Cedric Wilson.

You know Dave, as you kiss my Black ass, grasp that it's not that you reposted Cedric, or even that you did so without permission, it's that you didn't even have the good manners to let him know. So Davey Swanson, kiss my Black ass, once on each cheek.

Maybe David felt it was okay for him to do that because White people have a long history of 'using' (appropriating) the work of Blacks?

You glorious and overstuffed magpie, you.

David did not give permission for his e-mail to be noted. Screw David Swanson. He gets no private conversations in e-mails. He does get more courtesy than he showed Rebecca since I've displayed his e-mail here for all the world to see.

With Rebecca, of course, David pretended to be a fan of her site and an e-mail buddy, pumping her with questions and then distributing her e-mails around. Then, when one of the forwarded e-mails was sent back to her informing her of what was going on, she was shocked and asked Swanson what he was doing?

Even with the e-mail -- and I've seen all the e-mails (opening line from Dave in first e-mail, "I love your site.") -- coming to her, he denied that he'd done it. Started calling her crazy. Same way he tosses around "paranoia" above. Consider David Swanson the abuser who tells the victim that she 'made' him hit her.

So, no, we don't have private conversations with David Swanson. Rebecca and I go back decades and if he thinks for one moment he's felt my wrath over what he did to one of my best friends, he is crazier than when he was pimping Barack Obama. I've set that aside for several years now at Rebecca's request. But though that's been set aside (for now), it does not mean it's been forgotten. When he forwarded Rebecca's e-mails -- when he set her up -- he lost all rights to private communication community wide.

It's cute the way the little bitch wants to toss around 'conspiracy' when there's no conspiracy. There's just the fact that he's a coward and a piece of trash. That's setting aside what he did to Rebecca and to Cedric. (I have not commented on what he did to Cedric at Cedric's request -- we have kept that in community newsletters at his request but Ann is Cedric's wife and she can break that rule and get away with it.)

Swanson was urged to take accountability. Instead he pens yet another bitchy e-mail. What a proud moment for such a bad writer. A thief in fact, a liar.

David Swanson used the peace movement to elect Dems and he can claim otherwise but that is reality. He turned John Conyers -- the old fool -- into a latter day hero. And Conyers never lived up to his part of the bargain. But, as already noted, Swanson didn't call for a 'progressive' candidate to run against Conyers. But why would he? This is the man who celebrates King Buckle Dennis Kucinich.

This is the man who, in 2007, argued against Hillary or John Edwards receiving the nomination. Oh, advocating for his buddy Dennis? No, not at all. In fact, multiple pieces never even mentioned Denny. He did repeatedly counsel what Barack must do. Like so many 'carers,' he wasn't troubled by the counter-insurgency gurus surrounding Barack. Like so many 'carers,' he didn't know a damn thing about Barack's history in the state legislator. But he used his hideous websites to pimp Barack. Like many (including some of his friends) a large part of that was due to his fear (and hatred) of the vagina. You couldn't visit his crap-ass site during the primaries without one sexist attack on Hillary after another.

He wants his 'books' to be read. I'm so sorry David, while earning my multiple degrees, I received a strong liberal arts education and I'm fully aware of what qualifies as a book and what's a glorified clip job.

You weren't asked to write me a private e-mail. You were asked to take accountability for your actions. You've called Bill Clinton a "killer" due to Waco. I wasn't aware Bill was in Waco (but I was out of the country during all of that, so I could be wrong). So apparently you believe in some form of accountability, but only for others. Barack is where he is because you and others refused to hold him to a standard and because you cleared the playing field for him with your incessant lies. I'm not in the mood, little boy.

You broke the cookie jar. We see it in pieces on the kitchen floor. The only question at this point is whether or not you're mature enough to take responsiblity and own up to your actions? Judging by your e-mail, the very clear answer is: No, you're not.

Good, we get it. You're not anyone worth listening to.


I'd say, "You've not done a damn thing," but that would overlook all the damage you've repeatedly done. All the ill informed commentary you have repeatedly offered. I would think some of your contributors would be willing to sue you for damages after they tossed coin at you repeatedly when you were promising an impeachment. But you get away with it, time and again. You raise false hopes and you promise that something is about to happen. You play 'insider' when you can't even stand by the door, let alone get inside.

You're a joke and the peace movement can't afford you. You'll be popular with the others who rushed into marriage with Barack and now have trouble admitting that it's a failure and that divorce is the only answer. But I speak to the people who care about ending the Iraq War and you don't mean anything to them. You will, with your e-mail, however provide multiple laughs because I will work you into every speech I give next week. Something along the lines of: "David Swanson: A morality play in its final act. Kids, here's what not to do." (Actually, I'll start riffing on that in today's speeches.)

Repeating, real leaders take accountability. You helped stage Barack's coming out, he's your debutante and he's your disgrace. Not mine. You pimped him, you pushed him and, in the process, you helped kill off an active left. Take accountability.

Conspiracy? What conspiracy? People like yourself have always attempted to suck up to power. There's nothing new or surprising in that. That is, in fact, what drives the chat & chews.


TV notes, Washington Week begins airing on many PBS stations tonight (and throughout the weekend, check local listings) and joining Gwen around the table this week are Charles Babington (AP), Juliet Eilperin (Washington Post), Martha Raddatz (ABC News) and Pete Williams (NBC News). And Gwen's column this week is "The Blog Wars." Remember that the show podcasts in video and audio format -- and a number of people sign up for each (audio is thought to be so popular due to the fact that it downloads so much quicker). If you podcast the show, remember there is the Web Extra where Gwen and the guests weigh in on topics viewers e-mail about. And also remember that usually by Monday afternoon you can go to the show's website and stream it there (including Web Extra) as well as read the transcripts and more. Meanwhile Bonnie Erbe will sit down with Melinda Henneberger, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Genevieve Wood on the latest broadcast of PBS' To The Contrary to discuss the week's events. And at the website each week, there's an extra just for the web from the previous week's show and this week's it's the homophobic 'leader' who traveled with a paid male escort who hires himself out for sex. For the broadcast program, check local listings, on many stations, it begins airing tonight. And turning to broadcast TV, Sunday CBS' 60 Minutes:

The Blow Out
Scott Pelley investigates the explosion that killed 11, causing the ongoing oil leak in the waters off of Louisiana, and speaks to one of the oil rig platform crew survivors who was in a position to know what caused the disaster and how it could have been prevented. The report contains never-before-seen footage of the minutes after the explosion and new information about what led up to it.

Gustavo Dudamel
Now that he is the musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel wants to transplant in the U.S. the Venezuelan child orchestra system that changed his life. Bob Simon reports.

60 Minutes, Sunday, May 16, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.


Radio. Today on The Diane Rehm Show (airs on most NPR stations and streams live online beginning at 10:00 am EST), Diane is joined the first hour (domestic news roundup) by Jeanne Cummings (Politico), Morton Kondracke (Roll Call) and Steve Roberts (George Washington University). For the second hour (international news roundup), Diane is joined by Karen DeYoung (Washington Post), Yochi Dreazen (Wall St. Journal) and Martin Walker (UPI).


The Senate Democratic Policy Committee continues to highlight the economy and finances in a number of videos this month. Click here to be taken to the DPC video page. We'll note Senator Bill Nelson on BP.




If you're not alarmed by the destruction -- the continued destruction -- taking place in the Gulf, make a point to click here (link has text and audio) to find out what NPR's independent analysis has discovered (link goes to Morning Edition report). The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.









npr
the diane rehm show

























































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Deployment, funeral, disease

Topeka's KTKA reports the following (link has text and video):

Marshanna Hester: A departure ceremony to honor 55 members of the 135th Aviation Regiment Kansas Army National Guard was held today. Guard members are deploying for a year long mission in support of Operation Iraqi freedom. Family and friends gathered for one last opportunity to say goodbye to troops who are ready to get their mission started. Amber Wade: I got a daughter, so it's hard to leave. But, I mean, making a difference is very important too. Kevin Kennedy: Everybody's ready to get started because the sooner we get started, the sooner we get back home. Marshanna Hester: The soldiers will deploy to Fort Hood Texas for additional training and then go on to Iraq.

Once upon a time, the national news just buried the dead. These days they even refuse to cover the departing. Once upon a time, national news broadcasts felt so superior to local news. These days you have a better chance of hearing about the ongoing Iraq War on local news than you do on one of the network's evening news broadcasts.

Over the weekend, DoD announced the death of Sgt Esau Gonzales -- the family had announced it on Wednesday of last week. Jon Mark Beilue (Amarillo Globe-News) reported yesterday on the funeral service for Gonzales:

There were maybe 100 photos that captured the varied life of Army Staff Sgt. Esau Gonzales, 30, who died May 3 in Mosul, Iraq. He was on his third tour of duty and helped deactivate explosive devices in Iraq. The Army thus far has termed his death as a "noncombat chest wound."
But about 600 family, friends, acquaintances, military personnel and veterans groups - nearly a quarter of the population of Panhandle - came to the funeral, not just because Gonzales died, but to recall how he lived and honor his sense of duty and service, friendship and love.
"Today is the celebration of the continuation of this beautiful life," retired Col. Clayton Hoffman said. "Esau was funny, witty, ornery, mischievous; but God gave him the ability to love and to empathize with others. People were drawn to him."

In other Iraq news, Wednesday the Center for Disease Control issued an alert for a Q Fever Infection:

Increasing reports of Q fever among deployed U.S. military personnel due to endemic transmission in Iraq, as well as a large ongoing outbreak of Q fever in the Netherlands, may place travelers to these regions at risk for infection. Healthcare providers in the United States should consider Q fever in the differential diagnosis of persons with febrile illness, pneumonia or hepatitis who have recently been in Iraq or the Netherlands. Physicians are encouraged to submit samples for proper laboratory testing and contact the CDC for consultation if needed. Q fever cases in travelers should be promptly reported to proper authorities.

Background
Since Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced in 2003, over 200 cases of acute Q fever have been reported among U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq. Since several of these cases were identified after returning to the U.S. or when they were no longer serving on active military duty, a heightened awareness for Q fever infection occurring in military personnel and civilian contractors is necessary to ensure prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Q fever is endemic in the Middle East, and transmission may be influenced by hot, dusty conditions and livestock farming practices which may facilitate windborne spread.
In addition, a large number of Q fever cases have occurred in the Netherlands since 2007, with over 3,700 human cases reported through March 2010. Infected dairy goat farms are believed to be the source of the outbreak, and the majority of human cases have been reported in the southern region of the country. To date, no imported cases of Q fever have been reported among American travelers returning home from the Netherlands.
Because travelers to these countries may have a higher likelihood of exposure to Q fever, the CDC Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch advises that physicians evaluate travelers returning from Iraq (particularly military personnel and civilian contractors) and the Netherlands with febrile illness, pneumonia or hepatitis for potential Q fever infection. Probable and confirmed cases should be reported to their local or state health department.

Q Fever Illness

Q fever is a zoonotic disease with both acute and chronic phases caused by the pathogen Coxiella burnetii. The primary mode of transmission to humans is inhalation of aerosols or dust contaminated by infected animals, most commonly cattle, sheep or goats. Direct animal contact is not required for transmission to occur as the organism may be spread by dust or wind. Infections via ingestion of contaminated dairy products and human-to-human transmission via sexual contact have rarely been reported. Q fever does occur in the United States, but fewer than 200 cases are reported annually.
Although asymptomatic infections may occur, an unexplained febrile illness, sometimes accompanied by pneumonia and/or hepatitis, is the most common clinical presentation. Illness onset typically occurs within 2–3 weeks after exposure. The mortality rate for acute Q fever is low (1–2%), and the majority of persons with mild illness recover spontaneously within a few weeks although antibiotic treatment will shorten the duration of illness and lessen the risk of complications. Chronic Q fever is uncommon (<1%>


The following community websites updated last night:


We'll again note Ms.' upcoming issue.

Dear Common Ills,

Winter 2010 Issue of Ms. magazine

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You'll receive our brand-new Spring issue straight to your mailbox.

In the about-to-be-released new Spring issue of Ms., our publisher Ellie Smeal highlights 25 key benefits for women in the new health reform law-some you've heard of, and some you haven't.

Smeal also heralds the far-reaching gender-equity language in the bill. Could this be a Title IX for women's health?

Join Ms. TODAY to get the full story the moment the Spring issue hits mailboxes.

And here's a sneak peek at the rest of the Spring Ms.:

-- Was the murderer of abortion provider Dr. Tiller really a "lone wolf"?

-- What life is like for Haitian women in refugee camps

-- The lawyer who is taking on the U.S. military's disturbing sexual assault problem

-- What can we do about shockingly high global maternal mortality rates?

-- Donna Brazile thanks Nancy Pelosi for health-care reform and mourns Dorothy Height

-- Gloria Steinem remembers long-time friend Wilma Mankiller

Join now to get the next issue of Ms. delivered straight to your mailbox. And you'll be doing your part to support fearless, feminist journalism that you can't get anywhere else.

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thomas friedman is a great man






oh boy it never ends


































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