Saturday, July 09, 2016

Iraq snapshot

Saturday, July 9, 2016.  Chaos and violence continue, the persecution of Sunnis continue, Hillary Clinton supposed 'feminist' stands exposed as knowing of the plight of Iraqi women and doing nothing to help them (thank you, WikiLeaks), US House Rep Corrine Brown can no longer pretend to help veterans as she's facing over 20 criminal, federal charges, and much more.



The War Hawk Hillary Clinton is always in the news.  Ben Norton (SALON) reports:

A 2011 email to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shows how the U.S. pressured Iraq’s new allied government to increase oil production in order “to pay the greatest dividends.”

U.S. State Department officials stressed that “Iraq is potentially one of the largest oil producers in the world,” but lamented that it was not meeting its full potential.

In the email, which was released by the State Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, they outline plans “to help move the country in the right direction” — that is to say, to increase Iraq’s oil production by at least 150 percent in the next five years, with the help of “oil contracts with international companies.”
[. . .]
The email to Sec. Clinton shows that, while oil was certainly not the only factor behind the invasion of Iraq, it was a top priority for the U.S. government.

Anti-war protesters frequently accused the U.S. and its allies in the U.K. and elsewhere of spilling blood for control of natural resources. “No blood for oil” was one of the most popular chants in protests against the war.



The e-mail may make many recall then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 2011 speech.






As David Sirota and Andrew Perez (IBT) reported last September:


When then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton voted to authorize the war against Iraq in 2002, she justified her support of the invasion as a way to protect America’s national security. But less than a decade later, as secretary of state, Clinton promoted the war-torn country as a place where American corporations could make big money.
“It's time for the United States to start thinking of Iraq as a business opportunity," she said in a 2011 speech.
The quote was included in an email released by the State Department on Wednesday that specifically mentioned JPMorgan and Exxon Mobil. JPMorgan was selected by the U.S. government to run a key import-export bank in Iraq and in 2013 announced plans to expand its operations in the country. Exxon Mobil signed a deal to redevelop Iraqi oil fields. JPMorgan has collectively paid the Clintons and the Clinton Foundation at least $450,000 for speeches, and Exxon Mobil has donated over $1 million to the family’s foundation.


Trashy Hillary Clinton could pimp Iraq as a business opportunity.



But the alleged 'feminist' couldn't and wouldn't do a damn thing for Iraqi women.


This is most obvious in the e-mails WikiLeaks published this week.



Melanne Verveer e-mails Hillary on December 11, 2011:

We attempted to raise the issue of women's participation in the Iraq government, in their economy and more broadly when Biden was just in Baghdad.  Jeff Feltman was trying to get it into the conversations there.
You will recall the comments of the Iraqi who participated in the NGO meeting with you in Doha about how the door has been closed to women in the government.  We have had many discussions with impressive Iraqi women over the last couple years, and to a person they describe their fate as worse now than years ago.  Yet without them it will be even harder for Iraq to move forward.  To that end, we have been working with post on a action plan along the lines of the National Action Plan on women, peace and security, you will launch next week.
I hope you will find a way to raise the "women's issue" in your discussion tom'w.

And what does the 'great feminist' of all time, the woman with the highest cabinet position in the administration respond:

I raised women's issue w Maliki and Zebari.  Can't say either of them seemed interested.  But, we'll keep trying -- as always!


What a brave feminist Hillary I'm It For Myself Clinton is.

Verveer, at the time she e-mailed Hillary, was the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.  She had previously, in the 90s, served as First Lady Hillary's Chief of staff, and, in 2001, she and Hillary created the Vital Voices Global Parternship.


Hillary never used her platform as Secretary of State to publicly encourage Nouri al-Maliki or Hoshyar Zebari (her Iraqi equivalent at the time, Foreign Minister).  Nor did she use her platform to publicly shame either man.


She did, however, use her platform to repeatedly praise Zebari -- a man whose actions never warranted much praise at all.


Well, Verveer mentions an upcoming event, right?


To that end, we have been working with post on a action plan along the lines of the National Action Plan on women, peace and security, you will launch next week.


That's a reference to Hillary's December 19, 2011 speech entitled "Remarks on Women, Peace, and Security."

In that speech, she name checks Ireland, Liberia, Egypt, Senegal, Darfur, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Chile, Kosovo, Yemen and Nepal.

But she never mentions Iraq.

In her approximately 4,500 word speech, she never once mentions Iraq.

Helping the women of Iraq didn't, she believed, help her.

And like so many faux feminists, What's In It For Me Hillary has always defined her own self-interest as feminism.


All week long, I felt awful for not having time to read the WikiLeaks e-mail release.  I was convinced that anything of value would have long ago been mined.

What I forgot was that, of course, the larger corporate press doesn't care about Iraq and that's only more the case when it comes to Iraqi women.

So, no surprise, we're the only site to note that Hillary Clinton betrayed Iraqi women repeatedly as Secretary of State and that one e-mail exchange makes that exceedingly clear.


While Hillary celebrates herself and her War Hawk ways, others wise up.  Take Clare Short.  Over in the United Kingdom, she voted for the Iraq War -- just as Hillary did in 2002.  Unlike Hillary, Short knows how to express honest regret.  Writing for THE DAILY Mirror about the recent report from the Iraq Inquiry, Short notes:




At his emotional press conference responding to Chilcot, Blair said with a catch in his throat that he felt deeply and sincerely all the grief of the people of the UK and Iraq who had lost loved ones. He expressed sorrow, regret and contrition. He claimed the report said there were no lies, Parliament and Cabinet were not misled and there was no rush to war. To cap it all, he said it was the right decision and he would do it all again. At my school we were taught that a lie is the intent to deceive; and that you cannot be forgiven unless you are truly sorry and determined not to sin again.
The great communicator has come to the end of the line. He seemed a broken man.
This is a very sorry tale. For me it is a matter of deep shame. I tried to achieve better decisions with the partial information available to me and in a very hostile atmosphere. But I failed, and this will live with me for the rest of my life.



John Prescott was Deputy Prime Minister at the time.  He also pens a column for THE DAILY MIRROR:

 On Wednesday we finally saw the Chilcot Report .
It was a damning indictment of how the Blair Government handled the war – and I take my fair share of blame.
As the Deputy Prime Minister in that Government I must express my fullest apology, especially to the families of the 179 men and women who gave their lives in the Iraq War.

Chilcot went into great detail as to what went wrong. But I want to identify certain lessons we must learn to prevent this tragedy being repeated.


Hillary's answer to her every error and crime?  "Move on."  Not unlike the laughable 'left' organization created to urge the country to forget Bill Clinton's affairs.

Maybe the US media, so enchanted with Hillary, is devoted to her because they too don't like to tell the truth?


They regularly and repeatedly ignore the Sunni story in Iraq.

Marty Chulov wrote another embarrassing post for THE GUARDIAN.

He left out this key detail:

10 Sunni mosque destroyed by Shia Militias backed by Iraqi Gov. in Fallujah







Life's a lot harder for a number of 'reporters' in the age of the internet.


Amazing how many journalists are lying low right now, hoping they don't get exposed over their reporting.





The only thing more corrupt than 'reporters'?  Some politicians.


Amazing how many journalists are lying low right now, hoping they don't get exposed over their reporting.





The only thing more corrupt than some 'reporters'?  Some politicians.


Happy Fourth of July




Well, Happy Fourth, right back at you, Corrine.


The washed up member of Congress is how wig-hatted Corrine appears these days.


You may remember we were among those who strongly objected to this idiot being made Ranking Member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Well Corrine's way too busy these days to Tweet.  She also had to step down Friday as Ranking Member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

That's because she's been indicted by the Justice Dept -- she and her chief of Staff Ronni Simmons.  Kevin Bohn (CNN) reports:


Brown, of Jacksonville, Florida, and her chief of staff, Elias "Ronnie" Simmons, of Laurel, Maryland, were charged in a 24-count indictment, included charges of participating in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, multiple counts of mail and wire fraud, concealing material facts on required financial disclosure forms, theft of government property, obstruction of the due administration of the internal revenue laws, and filing false tax returns, the Justice Department said in a news release.


Jim Piggott, Lynnsey Gardner, Vic Micolucci and Chris Parenteau (NEWS4JAX) report that Corrine denies guilt on all charges and add, "If convicted on all charges, Brown could be sentenced up to 357 years in prison and fined $4.8 million."

The trial will be closely watched throughout the country, primarily due to the pleasure of seeing what ratty wig Corrine will wear next.



Thursday, the Veterans Affairs Department announced that they would release a report later this month on veteran suicide rates after "examining over 55 million Veteran records from 1979 to 2014." 2014, the Department states, saw "an average of 20 Veterans a day died from suicide."  They also note:




  • 65% of all Veterans who died from suicide in 2014 were 50 years of age or older.
  • Veterans accounted for 18% of all deaths from suicide among U.S. adults. This is a decrease from the 22% that was estimated in 2010.
  • Since 2001, U.S. adult civilian suicides increased 23%, while Veteran suicides increased 32% in the same time period.  After controlling for age and gender, this makes the risk of suicide 21% greater for Veterans.
  • Since 2001, the rate of suicide among US Veterans who use VA services increased by 8.8%, while the rate of suicide among Veterans who do not use VA services increased by 38.6%.
  • In the same time period, the rate of suicide among male Veterans who use VA services increased 11%, while the rate of suicide increased 35% among male Veterans who do not use VA services.
  • In the same time period, the rate of suicide among female Veterans who use VA services increased 4.6%, while the rate of suicide increased 98% among female Veterans who do not use VA services.



In response to the announcement, the office of US House Rep Jeff Miller, Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, issued the following statement:

Miller Statement on Latest Veteran Suicide Data

Jul 7, 2016

Today, Chairman Jeff Miller released the below statement regarding the latest veteran suicide data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Any time a person who fought to defend America dies by their own hand, it’s a tragedy. And these numbers are heartbreaking proof that we have a long way to go in order to end this troubling trend. Last year, Congress passed and President Obama signed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which is helping to increase the availability and efficacy of VA’s suicide prevention and mental health services. The law is a step in the right direction, but sustained progress will require a comprehensive approach to help ensure our most at-risk veterans have not only the care they need but also a job, a purpose and a system of support in place to help carry them through their struggles. Therefore, we as a nation must do more to encourage veterans in need to seek treatment and ask for help. And until we stop the epidemic of veteran suicides in this country, there will always be more work to do.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs





Then-Ranking Member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee Corrine was too busy facing federal criminal charges to issue any statement about veterans.  But Senate Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal issued a statement which noted:


“This heartbreaking data—20 veteran suicides every day—mocks our promise to keep faith with our nation's heroes. ‎The data has been updated, but VA action must be as well. VA must more effectively use the new tools provided by recent statues to do the outreach, research and treatment that can help cut this number to zero. The Clay Hunt SAV Act and the Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act are positive steps, but much more is necessary. These new numbers should be a continuing call to action.”


And Senate Chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee Johnny Isakson issued a statement which included:



“The loss of one veteran to suicide is one too many,” said Isakson, a veteran himself. “That’s why the Senate VA Committee’s first order of business this Congress was to pass the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act last year to improve mental health care and suicide prevention resources for American veterans. The VA’s latest data on veteran suicide rates in the United States shows that some progress has been made, but that we have a long way to go toward providing better access to mental health resources for our veterans.”


“My top priority as chairman is to see to it that we change the paradigm at the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver quality services in unique ways that will benefit veterans,” Isakson continued. “That’s why I introduced the Veterans First Act – sweeping reform legislation that goes further than ever to improve the VA’s mental healthcare services for our veterans. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass the Veterans First Actwithout further delay to address this troubling epidemic and ensure that every American veteran has timely evaluation and coordination of care to help reduce the rate of suicide and improve the quality of health care for all of our nation’s deserving veterans.”







The following community sites -- plus Jody Watley and Iraq Inquiry Digest -- updated:







  • iraq




    Isakson Responds to VA’s Updated Veterans Suicide Data





    isakson


    Senator Johnny Isakson (above) is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.  His office issued the following this week:




    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Wednesday, December 9, 2015
    Contact: Amanda Maddox, 202-224-7777
    Lauren Gaydos, 202-224-9126





    Isakson Responds to VA’s Updated Veterans Suicide Data
    Calls on Senate to pass Veterans First Act to address ‘troubling’ epidemic

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today called for more work to be done to improve mental health services for our nation’s veterans to prevent the alarming rate of veteran suicide revealed in a new analysis released today.

    The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today released a comprehensive analysis of veteran suicide rates in the United States based on data from over 55 million veteran records from 1979 to 2014 from every state in the nation. The new analysis found that in 2014 an average of 20 veterans a day died from suicide. That is down slightly from a 2010 analysis that estimated that there were on average 22 veteran suicides a day in the United States.

    “The loss of one veteran to suicide is one too many,” said Isakson, a veteran himself. “That’s why the Senate VA Committee’s first order of business this Congress was to pass the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act last year to improve mental health care and suicide prevention resources for American veterans. The VA’s latest data on veteran suicide rates in the United States shows that some progress has been made, but that we have a long way to go toward providing better access to mental health resources for our veterans.”

    “My top priority as chairman is to see to it that we change the paradigm at the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver quality services in unique ways that will benefit veterans,” Isakson continued. “That’s why I introduced the Veterans First Act – sweeping reform legislation that goes further than ever to improve the VA’s mental healthcare services for our veterans. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass the Veterans First Actwithout further delay to address this troubling epidemic and ensure that every American veteran has timely evaluation and coordination of care to help reduce the rate of suicide and improve the quality of health care for all of our nation’s deserving veterans.”

    Isakson has long been focused on improving the quality and timeliness of care at Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities across the country. He helped uncover signs of neglect and mismanagement at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Atlanta, Ga., during a Senate VA committee field hearing he held in August 2013 in the wake of three veteran suicides. Isakson has worked with the VA since 2013 to ensure the appropriate steps were being taken to improve the mental health care provided in all of its facilities.

    On January 21, 2015, the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs unanimously passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act during the committee’s first official meeting in the 114th Congress and also the first meeting with Isakson serving as chairman.

    Isakson introduced the Veterans First Act earlier this year to build upon the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs’ work throughout this legislative session to drastically improve services for our nation's veterans. The Veterans First Act includes a number of provisions to address mental health care for veterans, including:
    ·         Creating a Veterans Expedited Recovery Commission to examine the evidence-based therapy treatment model at VA and the potential benefits of incorporating other types of health treatments at VA;
    ·         Ensuring veterans who served in classified missions can access mental health without disclosing classified information;
    ·         Directing the VA to include in its training and education programs for mental health professionals, marriage and family therapists and licensed professional mental health counselors; and
    ·         Cutting down on the VA’s bureaucracy and expanding the qualification criteria to make it easier to hire qualified mental health care professionals.

    ###

    The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.
    Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.







    Cassidy Initiative to Help Veterans Gain EMT Licenses is Moving Through Congress

    In 2006, Democrats in the House led on pushing for veterans to receive various certificates for the work they'd done.  First responders was the most often field noted that a certificate would be helpful in terms of allowing them to get civilians jobs.  After 2009, it was largely just US House Reps John Hall and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin raising the issue -- both left Congress in January 2011.  This week, Republican US Senator Bill Cassidy raised the issue in the Senate.  His office notes:



    For Immediate Release
    Contact: John Cummins, Jillian Rogers
    July 8, 2016
    202-224-5824


    Cassidy Initiative to Help Veterans Gain EMT Licenses is Moving Through Congress

    Included in Cara Conference Report

    WASHINGTON – US Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) applauded the inclusion of his plan to make it easier for veterans with military emergency medical technician (EMT) training to pursue careers as EMTs following their military service in the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) Conference Report. The CARA Conference Report passed the US House of Representatives today and will be voted on by the US Senate next week. Following the Senate’s vote it will be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

    Introduced in February, 2015, the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act will help states streamline their certification requirements for veterans with military emergency medical technician (EMT) training who are looking to pursue a career as an EMT following their military service. It will provide demonstration grants to states that work to simplify the EMT certification process for veterans and will allow veterans to avoid duplicating their medical training.

    Dr. Cassidy released the following statement:

    “Veterans trained as emergency medical technicians in the service should not have to repeat the training that they've already had. It is better for them and for their community if their expertise is used as quickly as possible. This is about jobs, easing transition to civilian life and providing emergency services to fellow Americans.”

    A companion bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives by Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Louis Capps (D-CA).

    Dr. Cassidy is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.


    cassidy



    [Dr. Cassidy and Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) with veteran EMTs from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT)]


     ###










    U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s Bipartisan VA Reforms Pass the House of Representatives, Move to the Senate

    baldwin


    Senator Tammy Baldwin's office issued this press release Friday:




    For Immediate Release
    Friday, July 8, 2016
       (202) 224 - 6225

    U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s Bipartisan VA Reforms Pass the House of Representatives, Move to the Senate

    Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act continues to move forward after being approved by House and Senate Conference Committee this week

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement today after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the House and Senate Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Conference Committee legislation, which included bipartisan VA reforms Senator Baldwin authored in the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act (S.1641):

    “I’m proud to have worked with the Simcakoski family to introduce these bipartisan VA reforms, and I am pleased that the House passed them today and that the Senate will now vote on them next week,” said Senator Baldwin. “This legislation advances critical provisions that would strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs’ opioid prescribing guidelines and put in place stronger oversight and accountability for the quality of care we are providing our veterans. My goal is to enact these meaningful reforms to prevent Jason’s tragedy from happening to other veterans and their families. This week, we continued to move closer to achieving this goal of safer and more effective pain management services for our nation’s veterans.”

    Senator Baldwin’s Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act, crafted in close consultation with medical professionals, veterans service organizations, and the Simcakoski family, focuses on strengthening the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opioid prescribing guidelines and improving pain management services by putting the following reforms in place:

    ·       Requiring stronger opioid prescribing guidelines and education for VA providers including stricter standards against prescribing dangerous combinations of opioids with other drugs and for prescribing opioids to patients struggling with mental health issues;

    ·       Increasing coordination and communication throughout the VA with medical facilities, providers, patients and their families surrounding pain management, alternative treatments for chronic pain, and appropriate opioid therapy; and

    ·       Holding the VA system accountable for appropriate care and quality standards through consistent internal audits as well as GAO reviews and reports to Congress.

    In addition to improving opioid therapy and pain management, the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act strengthens the VA’s patient advocacy program by ensuring advocates are independent and truly work for veterans, expands access to complementary and integrative health and wellness, and enhances VA hiring practices to help prevent bad doctors from treating veterans.

    Senator Baldwin’s bipartisan legislation has also gained support from: Disabled American Veterans Wisconsin, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), The American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Veterans for Common Sense, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Association of the United States Navy (AUSN), Military Health Project, National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), American Veterans (AMVETS), Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the Wisconsin Medical Society, Trust for America's Health (TFAH), Harm Reduction Coalition, and the National Safety Council.


    An online version of this release is available here.

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