Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Violence and pretense

Reuters notes a Baghdad bombing left three people injured, an attack on a Baghdad police patrol left one police officer injured, 1 high school student was shot dead in Mosul, a Mosul sticky bombing targeted an Independent High Electoral Commission employee, a Baghdad roadside bombing targeted a "deputy minister of construction and housing," two Baghdad bombings left 3 dead and another Baghdad bombing left two people injured. Fang Yang (Xinhua) adds, "In Salahudin province in the north of Baghdad, a booby-trapped car parked in central the provincial capital city of Tikrit detonated at about 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) near the convoy of Faisal al- Azzawi, chief judge in the Salahudin's Court of Appeal, a provincial police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Azzawi escaped the attack unharmed despite damages to his vehicle, but four of his bodyguards were wounded by the blast, the source said." Meanwhile Alsumaria TV reports:

Renowned Iraqi poet Saadi Youssof said on Tuesday he doesn’t feel he belongs to Iraq anymore and added that Iraq is currently a US colony ruled by an Islamic regime. Youssof cherished the British nationality he holds and said that there’s nothing that links him to Iraq but the memories of his childhood.
“I don’t feel anymore that Iraq is my country. I used to remember Iraq a free and independent country and not a colony or an occupied territory, Youssof said during an interview with the Czech republic official Radio Station Cesky Rozhlas following an homage party in his honor after he won Spiros Vergos Prize for Freedom of Expression organized by Prague Writers Association. “Nowadays I feel that Iraq is a US colony”, Youssof added.
“Iraq where I used to live was a secular and liberal country, but today it is ruled by an Islamic regime, it became an Islamic republic”, the writer declared. “I cannot stand this fact and I cannot imagine myself as a part of this country anymore,” he added.


From poets to protests, the Daily Times of Pakistan reports that Khalaf Abdel Samad has just been elected governor of Basra. The previous governor? He stepped down as a result of ongoing protests back in February. Protests, Shwan Mohammed (AFP) reports, have led Barham Saleh ("Kurdish regional prime minister") to declare in writing, "I am ready to resign from the leadership of the party in order to renew it and the political bureau." The protesters are up against a great deal including the pretense by puppet rulers that they are representing the Iraqi people Pretense also explains the need to pretend all is normal and Baghdad is the perfect place for conventions and meet ups. Nizar Latif (National Newspaper) weighs in on the proposed Baghdad summit for the Arab league, "The Iraqi government continues to insist the Arab League summit, scheduled for Baghdad next month, must go ahead. In reality however, few Iraqis expect their capital to host the meeting. Militant attacks, including recent car bombs in the heart of Baghdad, are a reminder of Iraq's persistent danger and the dogged insurgency that years of warfare and billions of dollars have failed to defeat." The summit was supposed to take place in March. It wasn't secure enough then. People pretend it is now. For how much longer or if the summit will be held next month in Baghdad is unknown. Press TV states Iraq may leave the Arab League. While that's in part, Iran's state media working off a grudge against its Arab neighbors, it's also true that Iran has a lot of pull in the puppet government out of Baghdad.


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