Monday, January 03, 2011

Now they say the war is over but I think it's just begun

As noted last night, 2 US soldiers were killed in Iraq yesterday. CNN reports this morning, "Two U.S. service members were killed in central Iraq on Sunday night while supporting Operation New Dawn, according to a statement from the U.S. military in Iraq." AFP quotes an unnamed military spokesperson stating, "This was one incident resulting in the death of two US service members. These are the first deaths of any US service member in 2011."


Now they say the war is over
But I think it's just begun
-- "Penny Evans," written by Steve Goodman

Melanie often used to open with the first verse of "Penny Evans" and then transition into her own "Peace Will Come (According To Plan)" such as in this video.

There's a chance peace will come, in your life please buy one
There's a chance peace will come, in your life please buy one

For sometimes when I am feeling as big as the land
With the velvet hill in the small of my back
And my hands are playing the sand
And my feet are swimming in all of the waters
All of the rivers are givers to the ocean
According to plan, according to man

Well sometimes when I am feeling so grand
And I become the world
And the world becomes a man
And my song becomes a part of the river
I cry out to keep me just the way I am
According to plan, according to man
According to plan, according to man
According to plan, according to man
According to plan, according to man
According to plan


The Iraq War isn't over. A point that many outlets can't grasp. I'm looking at two reports that are going to be greeted with editorial slaps on the wrist when the bosses get in. It's a damn shame when a directive's issued noting the war has not ended, employees of the outlet can't follow it but that's on them.

Moving to the Washington Post (which is not one of the two outlets), Aaron C. Davis informs, "Twelve U.S. soldiers have died across Iraq from violence, accidents or other causes since August. But the American deaths come amid a surge of targeted killings of Iraqis in the last week." Or should we say misinforms? Since August 31st, 14 US soldiers have died -- that's the 12 before Sunday and the 2 on Sunday. You can [PDF format warning] click here for DoD's count which notes "FATALITIES AS OF: December 30, 2010, 10 a.m. EST." And note that until DoD issues their statements identifying the 2 dead, they will not be changing the count.

How many (US) lives does it take for the press to face that the Iraq War isn't over? The White House hopes 14 isn't the magic number.

The violence goes on Iraq. Tang Danlu (Xinhua) reports 3 dead and twenty injured from a Baquba roadside bombing "immediately followed by a suicide car bombing". Reuters updates with 28 wounded and states it was an attack on Iraq's "intelligence services". AFP notes 1 police officer and 1 Iraqi Christian woman (Rafah Toma)were shot dead in Baghdad today -- the woman in her home. Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) adds:

Rafah Butros Toma was sleeping when gunmen stormed the house and killed her in her bed, the official said. The attackers stole money from the house before fleeing the scene.
Butros Toma spoke with CNN in December about the October 31 siege of Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation Church that killed 51 congregants and two priests, including her 27-year-old cousin. Three suicide bombers detonated their vests during the siege, but Butros Toma survived.
"I am attached to this place," Butros Toma said at the church while marking 40 days since the attack -- a mourning period commonly observed by some communities in the Middle East. "Every other day I come here. I feel like my soul is in this place with them."


Kat's "Kat's Korner: 2010 in music" Ruth's "Ruth's Radio Report: 2010," Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "2010: The Urkel Moment," "2010 in books (Martha & Shirley)," "2010: The Year of Enough," Marcia's "2010 in Page Turners" and Rebecca's "2010 in page turners" and Ann's "10 Best DVDs of 2010" and Stan's "10 Best DVDs of 2010" -- year in review pieces in the community. Also "Terry Gross' new low (Ann, Ava and C.I.)" which documents the fact that women made up only 18% of Terry Gross' guests on Fresh Air in 2010. In addition Kat got in one more review for 2010, "Kat's Korner: Mystic Melanie" -- Kat reviews Melanie's brand new album Ever Since You Never Heard of Me. Law and Disorder Radio celebrates their seventh year of broadcasting this week (begins airing on WBAI this morning at 9:00 am EST, around the country throughout the week). Topics include Gaza, immigrant rights and more.

And we'll close with this from Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan's "Re-creating Revolutionary Communities (PART ONE) by Cindy Sheehan" (Cindy's Soapbox):

In 2009, after the inauguration of Barack Obama, I was feeling out of step with the ½ of the country that I would usually be in step with: those Hope-notized by his campaign-ad/sound-bite rhetoric.
I spent a lot of time pondering the why of this Hope-nosis and how badly our country was still doing economically and I was dismayed (but not surprised) by the increasing violence of Obama’s foreign and domestic policies.

Now, two years later, we are a country in multiple crises because the very foundation of capitalist-imperialism is crumbling no matter how hard the capitalists try and keep it together using all the tools at their disposal: the US military, the corporate media, the fear of “terrorism,” wedge issues such as LGBTQ and immigrant rights, the farce of elections, etc.

In 2009, I wrote a book called: Myth America: 20 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution. In this book, I identified and dispelled 20 myths that I think keep us attached to the class that is robbing us, killing us, and otherwise oppressing us. More importantly, I laid out a case for creating these Revolutionary communities.

Another phenomena I have observed that is holding our class (the Robbed one) from seeing peace, justice and economic equality is the new-ish one of online social networking, like Facebook. Now, I see Facebook as a blessing and a curse. Obviously, Facebook gives us all the opportunity to reach people that would otherwise not be reached and it is a good tool for passing along information, etc.



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