Noel Brinkerhoff's "Obama Administration Stonewallas Inquiry into Radioactive Weapon Use in Iraq" (AllGov.com) notes that the administration is blocking people from from finding out about "the health and environmental risks" resulting from the US use of Depleted Uranium in Iraq.
Brinkerhoff lays it out plainly and makes it appear so easy. But it's apparently not that easy. The big lesson from the impending 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War appears to be that Billy Joel was only half-right, "accountability" and "honesty" are the lonely words. You need them both -- can't have one without the other.
This is demonstrated these days when it comes to any so-called discussion of government misdeed or abuse. Take Bradley Manning, the political prisoner held behind bars for over a thousand days without trial for the 'crime' of being a whistle blower. As Naomi Spencer (WSWS) pointed out, "Organizations that orbit the Obama administration-- including the
International Socialist Organization, which has published a handful of
articles about the case -- have likewise avoided uttering the name of
Manning’s oppressor: the Democratic administration of Barack Obama. The
most recent report in the Socialist Worker, the ISO’s publication, was a reprint of a February 22 Belfast Telegraph op-ed which made no mention of Obama."
Bully Boy Bush wasn't in office when Bradley was taken into custody. This is all on Barack who, remember, long ago declared Bradley guilty of crimes that could result in a death penalty (military prosecutors say they're not seeking the death penalty -- judges sometimes give more than prosecutors seek). That was wrong because, in the United States, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty but there was the president of the United States butting into the process and subverting it. That was also wrong because this isn't civilian court where Barack could have just poisoned the jury and public opinion. As president, Barack is commander-in-chief and those serving in the military might see his declaraton that Bradley was guilty as an order.
But few bothered to call him out, few ever bother to call him out. Take Stephen Zunes who pretends he wants to be honest:
The Iraqi government, a bastion of
secularism prior to the U.S. invasion, is now dominated by sectarian
Shiite parties that have shown little regard for human rights,
particularly evident in their brutal suppression of pro-democracy
demonstrators in recent months. Offices of pro-democracy groups have
been raided and shut down, intellectuals and journalists -- along with
other supporters of the nonviolent anti-government protests -- have been
rounded up.
Torture of suspects continues on an administrative
basis, government-backed death squads have murdered suspected regime
opponents, and the current Iraqi government is categorized by
Transparency International as one of the most corrupt regimes on Earth.
What he's discussing? It's going on right now. And the US government -- via the State Dept and USAID -- is still giving billions to Iraq. That has nothing to do with Bully Boy Bush.
But search in vain for Zunes calling out Barack.
What Bully Boy Bush did is akin to failing to protect the levies in New Orleans. It was criminal and people suffered. What Barack's done is like refusing to allow those forced out by Hurricane Katrina to return to their own lives.
3 protesters were shot dead in Mosul (many more injured) when Nouri al-Maliki's goons fired on them. That's on Barack.
You can argue that Bully Boy Bush installed him in 2006 but the Iraqi people put him in second place in the March 2010 elections and it's Barack who backed up Nouri as, for eight months, he refused to step down and let the Constitutional process take place. It's Barack who has the US government broker The Erbil Agreement that, eight months after the election, bypassed the Constitution and the democratic process to give Nouri the second term he didn't win.
You can also look at Paul Pillar's nonsense. What an idiot. (And the reach-around's really disgusting. Scott Shane plugs Paul in 2006 and Paul plugs Shane today. Boys, use condoms and play safe.)
Paul believes the day of the invasion was the beginning and end. By his column, that's what he believes. Iraq is an ongoing tragedy, an ongoing War Crime. When Pillar has the guts to talk about that, he may have something to write that's actually worth reading.
Then again, probably not. He's CIA. What is about so much of the left today that they want to get in bed with the CIA? Why are we wasting our time and resources rehabilitating their bad image and saying to young lefties that the CIA is cool and we should embrace and emulate them?
I guess it's a little easier to be a chicken s**t calling out Jennifer Garner for a public service announcement than calling out so much of the published left for their incestous relationship with the CIA?
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!)
The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
i hate the war
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