We still don't have the editorial.
We've got to go person of the year (already selected), creep of the year (ibid) and download of the year (ibid). I'm being vague on the categories, FYI.
But the point being, Jim's saying it will be two more hours so in this 15 minute break, I'm doing a very quick entry.
First up, Iraq Body Count.
Saturday 28 December: 25 killed
Ramadi: 6 by gunfire.Mosul: 6 policemen in separate attacks, 1 professor by gunfire.
Tikrit: 4 policemen by gunfire.
Ramadi: 1 body.
Falluja: 3 policemen by gunfire.
Shirqat: 3 family members by gunfire.
Sowaidan Balherquat: 1 policeman by gunfire.
December casualties so far: 910 civilians killed.
Over 9,400 killed this year.
Sunday 29 December: 20 killed
Baghdad: 7 by gunfire.Abu Ghraib: 4 Sahwa members by gunfire.
Mosul: 3 by gunfire.
Baquba: 1 by IED.
Beiji: 1 policeman by gunfire.
Muqdadiya: 2 by gunfire.
Iskandariya: 1 by IED.
Hajaj: 1 Sahwa member by suicide car bomber.
December casualties so far: 930 civilians killed.
Over 9,400 killed this year.
I have not read any Arabic press since this morning and don't want to.
That's not complaining about the Arabic press. It does a much better job covering Iraq than the English language press.
But this goes to some complaints that have been coming in.
They are valid complaints.
A number of you are upset and/or bothered that you're not getting entries up by 9:00 or 10:00 am during the week.
As one community member (rightly) wrote Thursday, "It's one thing when you're on a campus and talking about Syria but clearly you're not doing any speaking this week."
That is correct.
I was already tired of being online and I haven't hidden that.
We will be moving to one entry a morning.
And it will be in the morning.
At some point, in January, I hope to go back to an early morning post.
But last week?
Like today, I don't want to read about Iraq.
I spend more time thinking of other things to do than I do actually reading.
I'm sorry but Nouri's insane and he's harming people and it's only going to get worse. Especially with his threat to burn the tents in the protest sqaures.
I do not wake up thinking, "What's going on in Iraq today?"
I wake up in fear of what Nouri's done this time.
I dream about death now. If it's not Iraqis, I've got dead people who were friends showing up in my dreams to tell me Iraq's about to really be set on fire.
There is no escaping Iraq but I do try to avoid it.
And I'm sorry for being that way but I pull up a page in fear of what Nouri's done now.
Hawija?
We spent days calling it out before it happened. It was obvious that Nouri was going to resort to violence.
And we called it out and I yelled and screamed on the phone to friends in the administration to do something and the White House didn't do a damn thing.
So with Nouri gearing up to let the streets bleed again, I just dread logging on to the computer. Most mornings, a friend will call about their outlet and I'll finally boot up the laptop after I promise to note whatever they wanted noted. At that point, I'll force myself to find out what violence Nouri is causing, what hatred he's breeding.
Yesterday, Nouri's thugs went into MP Ahmed al-Alwani's home, killing people, wounding people (including children) and arresting the MP despite the legal immunity from arrest that he enjoys as a Member of Parliament. Those deaths are not counted the IBC tally noted above. Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi was calling for an investigation into the arrest..
Tamim al-Jubouri (Al Mada) reports today that the Parliamentary committee tasked with investigating the arrest was unable to do so. Nouri's SWAT forces refuse to allow these Members of Parliament to leave Baghdad to travel to Anbar and speak to witnesses. All Iraq News adds that Nouri's spokesperson has denied rumors that he will release al-Alwani.
Did the State Dept condemn the arrest?
Of course not.
They don't give a s**t.
They really don't. There are some who do, some individuals. But the position of the Department itself?
They don't give a s**t about human rights.
What do they care about?
Try to remember that Jen Psaki felt the need to issue a December 25th press release.
On Christmas Day, the worthless trash wanted to issue a press release on Iraq.
And Dumb Ass Jen said what? "We strongly support the efforts by all parties to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement to increase oil exports . . ."
Psaki, like her betters in the administration, only gives a damn one thing: Oil.
And they wonder why people see them as such disgusting whores?
The treachery and whoring from this administration is disgusting and Barack's no longer impersonating Richard Nixon, he's inhabiting him.
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] 4489.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
i hate the war
the ballet
